Tumor vaccine

Abstract

The invention relates to the fields of medicine, immunology, and oncology. More specifically, the invention relates to methods and compositions for inducing an immune response against a tumor in an animal subject. The invention provides that a lung cancer cell or other tumor cells, genetically modified to express a nucleic acid encoding CD80 (B7.1) and a nucleic acid encoding an HLA antigen, and method for stimulating an immune response to a tumor with the tumor cell so genetically modified. The invention additionally provides a method of inhibiting a tumor, including a cancer such as lung cancer, by administering an allogeneic tumor cell, for example a cancer tumor cell such as a lung cancer tumor cell, genetically modified to express a nucleic acid encoding CD80 (B7.1) and a nucleic acid encoding an HLA antigen.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of treating non-small cell lung cancer in a subject in need thereof comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a population of lung cancer cells stably transfected with a eukaryotic expression vector comprising (a) a nucleic acid encoding CD80 (B7.1) and (b) a nucleic acid encoding an HLA antigen, wherein at least at least 70% of the cells co-express CD80 (B7.1) and the HLA antigen, wherein the non-small cell lung cancer in the subject is not adenocarcinoma. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the non-small cell lung cancer tumor is bronchoalveolar carcinoma and/or squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of lung cancer cells is from a lung adenocarcinoma cell line. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the lung adenocarcinoma cell line is allogeneic. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the lung adenocarcinoma cell line is a line named AD100. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the HLA antigen is HLA-A1, HLA-A2, HLA-A3, or HLA-A27. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of lung cancer cells is administered in a dosage range of between 1×10 6  and 1×10 8  cells. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the dosage is about 5×10 7  cells. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the eukaryotic expression vector comprises a nucleic acid encoding a metallothionein-I promoter and a nucleic acid encoding a cytomegalovirus promoter. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein, the eukaryotic expression vector comprises a nucleic acid encoding a G418 resistance gene or histidinol resistance gene. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of lung cancer cells is administered bi-weekly. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of lung cancer cells is administered every four weeks. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of lung cancer cells is administered every six weeks. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of lung cancer cells is administered every eight weeks. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of lung cancer cells is administered orally, transdermally, or nasally. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of lung cancer cells is administered by parenteral or intradermal injection. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the parenteral injection is subcutaneous or intramuscular. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of lung cancer cells is administered within six weeks following chemotherapy. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of lung cancer cells is administered within four weeks following surgery.