DNA tumor vaccines
Wlazlo, A.P.; Ertl, H.C.
Archivum Immunologiae et Therapiae Experimentalis 49(1): 1-11
2001
ISSN/ISBN: 0004-069X PMID: 11266084 Document Number: 528514
A new generation of vaccines are being developed to induce immune responses that fight off infectious agents, or erradicate cancerous cells. These new vaccines are based on a plasmid vector, which in transfected mammalian cells cause constitutive high-level expression of the target antigen. Expression of the target antigen, in turn, can induce a full-range of immunologic responses, including cell-mediated killing, cell-mediated cytokine release and the production of antigen-specific antibodies. Through molecular techniques, these nucleic acid vaccines can be enhanced to increase target antigen expression and facilitate antigen presentation. Additionally, genetic adjuvants expressed simultaneously with the target antigens can induce the immune responses to disease-associated antigens. The ease with which these genetic vaccines can be generated and the potency of their ability to generate immune-mediated responses make them highly effective, which creates hope for developing effective treatment and prevention of various diseases, most notably cancer.