HAPTENIZING CANCER CELL COMPONENTS FOR THE PREPARATION OF CANCER VACCINES

摘要

The present invention provides techniques and reagents that induce an immune response against tumor cells. According to the invention, tumor cell components are contacted with a sensitizing agent, preferably so that one or more tumor cell components become haptenized with a sensitizing agent, and the resulting combination is administered to a patient suffering from a tumor, so that an anti-tumor immune response is mounted. In some embodiments of the invention, sensitizing agent/tumor cell component compositions are administered directly to a patient; in other embodiments they are administered by means of an antigen presenting cell such as a dendritic cell.