DNA fusion vaccines against HPV16 E7 antigen-associated cancers
DNA fusion vaccines against HPV16 E7 antigen-associated cancers
To date, the success of cancer vaccines in human clinical trials has been limited. One of the reasons for this is the immunological tolerance to tumour antigens found in cancer patients. A novel DNA fusion vaccine design which links a pathogen-derived domain (DOM) of fragment C from tetanus toxin to a peptide epitope from a tumour antigen has been developed in our laboratory. The microbial sequence is able to activate a non-tolerised pool of helper T cells, providing T-cell help for immune induction against the linked tumour-specific sequence.
The main aim of this project was to produce a therapeutic DNA vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers. A number of DNA fusion vaccines against the E7 antigen from HPV16 were constructed, including pDOM.E749-57, which encodes a well described H-2Db-binding epitope from E7 fused to the DOM sequence. CD8+ T-cell responses to the vaccines were demonstrated using flow cytometry and functional assays. Importantly, these responses were stronger than those induced by a published synthetic long peptide strategy. In vivo tumour challenge experiments showed that DNA vaccines had a protective and therapeutic effect. The vaccines were then tested in transgenic mice which develop spontaneous E7-expressing tumours in a setting of tolerance. DNA vaccine-mediated E7-specific CD8 + T-cell responses were successfully induced in these mice, together with a reduction in the mass of spontaneous tumours. This is the first demonstration of pDOM-epitope DNA vaccine-mediated therapy for spontaneous tumours and bodes well for translation into the clinic.
One limiting factor for DNA vaccination in humans may be the delivery system. Electroporation (EP) is one approach which may overcome this. Therefore, a secondary aim of this project was to investigate the impact of EP on immune responses to DNA vaccination in more detail. EP proved essential for generating T-cell and antibody responses to the pDOM.E7 49-57 vaccine in sub-optimal conditions. This information will be crucial for the planning of therapeutic vaccination protocols in patients
Ruiz, Elena
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March 2011
Ruiz, Elena
6873c024-f80e-43aa-91e5-0b651c870beb
Stevenson, Freda K.
ba803747-c0ac-409f-a9c2-b61fde009f8c
Rice, Jason
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Ruiz, Elena
(2011)
DNA fusion vaccines against HPV16 E7 antigen-associated cancers.
University of Southampton, Faculty of Medicine, Doctoral Thesis, 229pp.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
To date, the success of cancer vaccines in human clinical trials has been limited. One of the reasons for this is the immunological tolerance to tumour antigens found in cancer patients. A novel DNA fusion vaccine design which links a pathogen-derived domain (DOM) of fragment C from tetanus toxin to a peptide epitope from a tumour antigen has been developed in our laboratory. The microbial sequence is able to activate a non-tolerised pool of helper T cells, providing T-cell help for immune induction against the linked tumour-specific sequence.
The main aim of this project was to produce a therapeutic DNA vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers. A number of DNA fusion vaccines against the E7 antigen from HPV16 were constructed, including pDOM.E749-57, which encodes a well described H-2Db-binding epitope from E7 fused to the DOM sequence. CD8+ T-cell responses to the vaccines were demonstrated using flow cytometry and functional assays. Importantly, these responses were stronger than those induced by a published synthetic long peptide strategy. In vivo tumour challenge experiments showed that DNA vaccines had a protective and therapeutic effect. The vaccines were then tested in transgenic mice which develop spontaneous E7-expressing tumours in a setting of tolerance. DNA vaccine-mediated E7-specific CD8 + T-cell responses were successfully induced in these mice, together with a reduction in the mass of spontaneous tumours. This is the first demonstration of pDOM-epitope DNA vaccine-mediated therapy for spontaneous tumours and bodes well for translation into the clinic.
One limiting factor for DNA vaccination in humans may be the delivery system. Electroporation (EP) is one approach which may overcome this. Therefore, a secondary aim of this project was to investigate the impact of EP on immune responses to DNA vaccination in more detail. EP proved essential for generating T-cell and antibody responses to the pDOM.E7 49-57 vaccine in sub-optimal conditions. This information will be crucial for the planning of therapeutic vaccination protocols in patients
Text
Thesis PDF for submission 150311.pdf
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More information
Published date: March 2011
Organisations:
University of Southampton, Cancer Sciences
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 374745
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/374745
PURE UUID: b0a365e5-3a52-4f41-b35f-863add0b563c
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Date deposited: 11 Mar 2015 14:45
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:53
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Contributors
Author:
Elena Ruiz
Thesis advisor:
Jason Rice
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