Novel Immunotherapy for Malignant Breast Carcinomas
Abstract
Many forms of metastatic carcinoma are characterized by the lack of MHCI expression on their cell surface due to the down-regulation of transporters associated with antigen processing. Increasing expression of TAP in TAP deficient small cell lung cancer and melanoma induces a protective, anti-tumor immune response. Clinical studies show that a significant percentage of high grade breast carcinomas show MHCI loss and TAP deficiency. We hypothesize that increasing TAP expression in breast cancers will increase the cancer 5 Immunogenicity. To test this hypothesis we screened breast cancer cell lines for deficiencies in antigen presentation with the aim of developing a tumor model in mice capable of responding to vaccinia-TAP expression vectors. The breast tumor cell lines screened expressed MHCI on the cell surface and expressed TAP. These cell lines formed tumors and were resistant to vaccinia-TAP treatment. The strain of mouse (BALBc) syngenic to the tumor cell lines, however, is not a good candidate to test therapies dependent on cytotoxic responses. Instead we are searching for breast cancer cell lines syngeneic with C57 black strains of mice which are able to generate a protective, Th1 immune response.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADB286308
Entities
People
- Wilfred A. Jefferies
Organizations
- University of British Columbia