CELLULAR IMMUNOGENS USEFUL AS CANCER VACCINES

摘要

A cellular immunogen is provided for immunizing a host against the effects of the product of a target proto-oncogene, where the overexpression of the target proto-oncogene is associated with a malignancy. The cellular immunogen comprises host cells which have been transfected with at least one transgene construct comprising a transgene cognate to the target proto-oncogene and a strong promoter to drive the expression of the transgene in the transfected cells. The transgene encodes a gene product which induces host immunoreactivity to host self-determinants of the product of the target protooncogene gene. The transgene may comprise, for example, wild-type or mutant retroviral oncogene DNA cognate to the target proto-oncogene; or wild-type or mutant proto-oncogene DNA of a species different from the host species. The cellular immunogen may be prepared from biopsied host cells, e.g. skin fibroblasts, which are stably or transiently transfected with the transgene construct containing the cognate transgene. The host cells transfected with the cognate transgene construct, are then returned to the body of the host to obtain expression of the cognate transgene in the host.