Tumor-Specific Immunotherapy of Mammary Cancer
Abstract
For many patients with mammary cancer the primary tumor can be successfully treated by surgical removal, however the long-term prognosis is not favorable because of the high frequency of metastatic disease which is not treatable by current approaches. Our goal is to develop vaccination strategies to minimize metastatic disease. We postulate that an improvement in the generation of mammary carcinoma-specific CD4(+) T helper lymphocytes will facilitate development of CD8-mediated tumor immunity. To enhance the activation of CD4(+) T helper cells, autologous mouse mammary tumor cells have been transfected with syngeneic MHC class II genes plus costimulatory and antigen presentation accessory molecules, including B7-1, B7-2, IL-1 alpha, and the superantigen, SEB. The genetically modified tumor cells should be able to directly present mammary tumor peptides to CD4(+) T cells, thereby facilitating T cell activation. Transfectants are being tested for their tumorigenicity, for their ability to protect tumor-free mice from subsequent exposure to mammary tumor cells, and for their ability to vaccinate against spontaneous metastatic disease.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA367534
Entities
People
- Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg
Organizations
- University of Maryland, Baltimore