CTL PEPTIDE EPITOPES AND ANTIGEN-SPECIFIC T CELLS, METHODS FOR THEIR DISCOVERY, AND USES THEREOF

摘要

The present invention relates to CTL peptide epitopes, high-throughput methods for their identification, and their uses. In particular, the present invention relates to peptide epitopes for cancer immunotherapy and Hepatitis C Virus vaccines. The present invention also relates to methods and systems for identifying antigen-specific CTLs.

主权项

1. A method of identifying T cell epitopes from an antigen of interest, comprising:
a) expressing at least one candidate antigen selected from the group consisting of a candidate self-antigen and a candidate foreign antigen in an antigen presenting cell that expresses a defined HLA molecule; b) utilizing an affinity-based algorithmic prediction to identify a plurality of peptides from said candidate antigen that are predicted to bind to said defined HLA molecule to provide predicted peptides; c) synthesizing said predicted peptides and forming complexes of said synthesized predicted peptides with said defined HLA molecule to generate predicted peptide:defined HLA molecule complexes; d) contacting said antigen-presenting cells with donor T cells that are not tolerant to said predicted peptide:defined HLA molecule complexes to provide induced T cells; and e) identifying T cells reactive with said predicted peptide:defined HLA molecule complexes by contacting said induced T cells with said predicted peptide:defined HLA molecule complexes to identify T cells reactive with said complexes.