NEW PEPTIDE OF THE HER-2/NEU ONCOPROTEIN (HER-2 (85-94)) FOR CANCER VACCINATION

摘要

The HER-2(85-94) peptide determines the region of 10 amino acids (L I A H N Q V R Q V) from the extracellular region of the HER-2/neu oncoprotein. Said peptide is bound with increased degree of affinity to HLA-A2.1 histocompatibility molecules and sufficiently antigenic since it stimulates the production of interferon-γ from cytotoxic CD8 T lymphocytes acting against cancer cells expressing HLA-A2.1 molecules and HER-2/neu.The HER-2(85-94) peptide is differentiated from the so-far antigenic peptides of the HER-2/neu oncoprotein because it is the single one which is recognized by increased frequencies of CD8 T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of patients suffering from breast cancer. Furthermore, said peptide is so far the only one that has been used as a protecting and therapeutic vaccine HLA-A2.1 and has treated diagenous rats from allied ALC cancer cells co-expressing HLA-A2.1 and HER-2/neu. This peptide is destined for fist-phase clinical assays on patients suffering from prostate and breast cancer.