Yeast-based vaccines as immunotherapy

Abstract

Compositions and methods for treating and/or preventing a variety of diseases and conditions that are amenable to immunotherapy and, in one particular embodiment, compositions and methods for treating and/or preventing cancer in an animal are described. Specifically improvements related to the use of a yeast-based vaccine comprising a yeast vehicle and an antigen that is selected to elicit an antigen-specific cellular and humoral immune response in an animal, for use in prophylactic and/or therapeutic vaccination and the prevention and/or treatment of a variety of diseases and conditions are disclosed.

1 - 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A method to increase survival, reduce tumor burden, or inhibit tumor growth in a patient that has a cancer, comprising administering to the patient by mucosal delivery a composition comprising a yeast vehicle and at least one cancer antigen expressed by the cancer, or an immunogenic domain thereof, wherein the composition increases survival of the patient, reduces tumor burden in the patient, or inhibits tumor growth in the patient. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the composition is administered to the respiratory tract of the patient. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the cancer is a brain cancer or a lung cancer. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the composition is administered by intranasal or inhaled administration. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the yeast vehicle is selected from the group consisting of a whole yeast, a yeast spheroplast, a yeast cytoplast, a yeast ghost, and a subcellular yeast membrane extract or fraction thereof. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the yeast vehicle is a whole yeast. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the yeast vehicle is from a yeast selected from the group consisting of:  Saccharomyces, Schizosaccharomyces, Kluveromyces, Hansenula, Candida  and  Pichia.    
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein  Saccharomyces  is  S. cerevisiae.    
     
     
         25 . A therapeutic composition for reducing tumor growth, tumor volume, or tumor burden, or increasing survival, in a subject that has a cancer selected from the group consisting of melanomas, squamous cell carcinoma, breast cancers, head and neck carcinomas, thyroid carcinomas, soft tissue sarcomas, bone sarcomas, testicular cancers, prostatic cancers, ovarian cancers, bladder cancers, skin cancers, brain cancers, angiosarcomas, hemangiosarcomas, mast cell tumors, primary hepatic cancers, lung cancers, pancreatic cancers, gastrointestinal cancers, renal cell carcinomas, hematopoietic neoplasias and metastatic cancers thereof, the composition comprising:
 a) a whole yeast; and   b) at least one cancer antigen that is expressed by the yeast.   
     
     
         26 . The therapeutic composition of  claim 25 , wherein the cancer is selected from the group consisting of: lung cancer, brain cancer, renal cancer, breast cancer and melanoma and metastatic cancers thereof. 
     
     
         27 . The therapeutic composition of  claim 25 , wherein the cancer antigen is selected from: a wild-type or mutant protein encoded by a ras gene, a wild-type or mutant EGF-R, CEA, MUC-1, MART-1, or VHL. 
     
     
         28 . The therapeutic composition of  claim 25 , wherein the yeast vehicle is from a yeast selected from the group consisting of:  Saccharomyces, Schizosaccharomyces, Kluveromyces, Hansenula, Candida  and  Pichia.    
     
     
         29 . The therapeutic composition of  claim 25 , wherein  Saccharomyces  is  S. cerevisiae.    
     
     
         30 . A method to reduce tumor growth, tumor volume, or tumor burden, or increase survival, in a subject that has a cancer selected from the group consisting of melanomas, squamous cell carcinoma, breast cancers, head and neck carcinomas, thyroid carcinomas, soft tissue sarcomas, bone sarcomas, testicular cancers, prostatic cancers, ovarian cancers, bladder cancers, skin cancers, brain cancers, angiosarcomas, hemangiosarcomas, mast cell tumors, primary hepatic cancers, lung cancers, pancreatic cancers, gastrointestinal cancers, renal cell carcinomas, hematopoietic neoplasias and metastatic cancers thereof, the composition comprising administering to the subject:
 a) a whole yeast; and   b) at least one cancer antigen that is expressed by the yeast.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the composition is administered by parenteral administration. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the cancer antigen is selected from: a wild-type or mutant protein encoded by a ras gene, a wild-type or mutant EGF-R, CEA, MUC-1, MART-1, or VHL. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the yeast vehicle is from a yeast selected from the group consisting of:  Saccharomyces, Schizosaccharomyces, Kluveromyces, Hansenula, Candida  and  Pichia.    
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein  Saccharomyces  is  S. cerevisiae.