Abstract.
Dendritic cells (DC) derived from peripheral blood monocytes are currently being investigated in clinical trials for their role in stimulating the immune system. We performed a phase I/II clinical trial using human autologous DC transfected with cDNA of the human tumor antigen mucin (MUC1) as a vaccine in 10 patients with advanced breast, pancreatic or papillary cancer. After liposomal transfection, flow cytometry testing showed that 2% to 53% of the DC expressed mucin epitopes. Patients were immunized two or three times with 1 million transfected DC injected subcutaneously (s.c.). A vaccine-specific delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction was observed in 3 out of 10 patients. After vaccination, 4 patients showed a 2- to 10-fold increase in the frequency of mucin-specific interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)-secreting CD8+ T cells. We demonstrated the feasibility and safety of a vaccine consisting of autologous gene-transfected DC, and that immunologic responses could be induced even in patients with pretreated and advanced disease.
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Pecher, G., Häring, A., Kaiser, L. et al. Mucin gene (MUC1) transfected dendritic cells as vaccine: results of a phase I/II clinical trial. Cancer Immunol Immunother 51, 669–673 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-002-0317-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-002-0317-z