Cancer vaccine for dogs

Abstract

The present invention provides an immunogenic composition comprising a nucleic acid that comprises a sequence encoding a dog telomerase deprived of telomerase catalytic activity, or a fragment thereof.

1 - 19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . A nucleic acid molecule comprising a sequence encoding a fusion protein which comprises a) at least one dog telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) fragment, and b) at least one non-dog TERT fragment;
 wherein said protein (i) does not contain amino acids VDD within the TERT catalytic activity, (ii) does not contain a nucleolar localization signal sequence, and (iii) comprises an amino acid sequence which enhances the addressing of said TERT to a proteasome;   wherein the at least one dog TERT fragment represents at least 30% of the amino acid sequence of a TERT sequence;   and wherein the at least one non-dog TERT fragment is a non-dog TERT antigenic fragment that correspond to a fragment absent from said dog TERT sequence, to the extent the non-dog TERT fragment does not complement the loss of activity nor the loss of the nucleolar localization signal.   
     
     
         21 . The nucleic acid of  claim 20 , wherein the nucleic acid is a DNA plasmid. 
     
     
         22 . The nucleic acid of  claim 20 , wherein the amino acid sequence which enhances the addressing of said TERT to a proteasome is a sequence of ubiquitin. 
     
     
         23 . The nucleic acid of  claim 20 , wherein the amino acid sequence which enhances the addressing of said TERT to a proteasome is a sequence of calreticulin. 
     
     
         24 . The nucleic acid of  claim 20 , wherein the nucleolar localization signal sequence consists of 47 N-terminal amino acids of the full-length wild-type dog TERT. 
     
     
         25 . The nucleic acid of  claim 20 , wherein the at least one non-dog TERT antigenic fragment originates from a cat TERT sequence. 
     
     
         26 . The nucleic acid of  claim 25 , which encodes SEQ ID NO: 4. 
     
     
         27 . The nucleic acid of  claim 20 , wherein the at least one dog TERT fragment represents at least 50% of all TERT sequences in the nucleic acid. 
     
     
         28 . The nucleic acid of  claim 27 , wherein the at least one dog TERT fragment represents at least 70% of all TERT sequences in the nucleic acid. 
     
     
         29 . The nucleic acid of  claim 28 , wherein the at least one dog TERT fragment represents at least 90% of all TERT sequences in the nucleic acid. 
     
     
         30 . An immunogenic composition comprising the nucleic acid of  claim 20  and a carrier and/or excipient. 
     
     
         31 . A method for triggering an immune response in a dog, against cells that overexpress telomerase, wherein the method comprises administering to the dog an effective amount of the immunogenic composition of  claim 30 . 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein said cells that overexpress telomerase are dysplasia cells or tumor cells. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the composition is administered by intradermal or intramuscular route. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the composition induces a long term memory immune response. 
     
     
         35 . A method for preventing or treating a tumor in a dog, which method comprises administering to the dog an effective amount of the immunogenic composition of  claim 30 . 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the tumor is selected from the group consisting of bladder cancer, brain tumor, mammary tumors and carcinoma, mast cell tumors, malignant histiocytosis and histocytic sarcomas, squamous cell carcinomas, hemangiosarcoma, lymphoma, in particular B-cell lymphoma, melanoma, osteosarcoma, testicular tumors. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the composition is administered by intradermal or intramuscular route. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the dog is at risk of developing a tumor, or wherein the dog is healthy but is 10 years of age or more.