Nanoparticles for use as a therapeutic vaccine

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of human health and more particularly concerns nanoparticles for use as a therapeutic vaccine in the context of radiotherapy in a subject suffering of a cancer, in particular of a metastatic cancer or of a liquid cancer.

1 . A method for treating cancer in a human subject suffering from metastatic cancer and undergoing a palliative radiotherapy, in a human subject suffering from metastatic cancer for whom radiotherapy has been abandoned, or in a human subject suffering from metastatic cancer which is not treated by radiotherapy, the method comprising a step of administering a vaccine composition comprising a nanoparticle and/or aggregate of nanoparticles to the human subject, or to a cancer sample thereof, and a step of exposing the human subject, or a cancer sample thereof, comprising the nanoparticle and/or aggregate of nanoparticles, to a fractionated radiotherapy comprising at least one irradiation step applied in vivo to the human subject or ex vivo to the cancer sample, wherein the ionizing radiations dose ranges from 1.8 to 30 Gray (Gy), and wherein each nanoparticle comprises a material having a density of at least 7 g/cm 3  and an atomic number (Z) of at least 25 and each nanoparticle or aggregate of nanoparticles is covered with a biocompatible coating allowing the nanoparticle stability between pH 6.5 and 7.5 in a physiological fluid. 
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the ionizing radiations dose ranges from 1.8 to 20 Gray (Gy). 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein when the cancer is a metastatic cancer, the at least one irradiation step is applied in vivo and is applied on one, at most two, tumor sites of the metastatic cancer comprising the nanoparticles or aggregates of nanoparticles. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein when the cancer is a liquid cancer, the at least one irradiation step is applied ex vivo on a liquid cancer sample of the subject comprising the nanoparticles or aggregates of nanoparticles and the irradiated liquid cancer sample is at least partly readministered to the subject before any optional subsequent in vivo treatment of cancer in said subject. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the ionizing radiations dose is selected from 1.8, 2, 2.4, 2.5, 3, 3.2, 3.6, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 15 and 20 Gy per fraction treatment. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the metastatic cancer affects (i) a connective tissue and is selected from a fibrosarcoma, myxosarcoma, liposarcoma, chondrosarcoma, osteosarcoma, chordoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, (ii) an endothelium or mesothelium tissue and is selected from hemangiosarcoma, angiosarcoma, lymphangiosarcoma and mesothelioma, (iii) a muscle tissue and is selected from leiomyosarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma, (iv) an epithelial tissue and is selected from adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and epidermoid carcinoma, (v) a neural tissue and is selected from multiform glioblastoma, glioma, neuroblastoma, medulloblastoma, meningioma, neurofibrosarcoma and schwannoma, and (vi) the APUD system and is selected from thyroid carcinoma, pancreas carcinoma, stomach carcinoma and intestine carcinoma; or wherein the metastatic cancer is a melanoma. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the metastatic cancer is or derives from a cancer selected from skin cancer, central nervous system cancer, head and neck cancer, lung cancer, kidney cancer, breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancer (GIST), prostate cancer, liver cancer, colon cancer, rectum cancer, anal cancer, oesophagus cancer, male genitourinary cancer, gynecologic cancer, adrenal and retroperitoneal cancer, sarcomas of bone and soft tissue, pediatric cancer, neuroblastoma, central nervous system cancer and Ewing's sarcoma. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the liquid cancer affects blood or lymphoid cell tissue and is selected from leukemia, myeloma and lymphoma. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticle or aggregate of nanoparticles are to be administered to the subject to be treated together with at least one immunotherapeutic agent, the nanoparticle or aggregate of nanoparticles and the least one immunotherapeutic agent being administered to the subject either simultaneously or separately. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or vehicle. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein the composition further comprises at least one immunotherapeutic agent. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the at least one immunotherapeutic agent is selected from a monoclonal antibody, a cytokine, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the immunotherapeutic agent is an antibody selected from an anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) antibody, an anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) antibody, an anti-programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) antibody, an anti-programmed cell death 1 ligand 2 (PD-L2) antibody; a monoclonal antibody enhancing cluster of differentiation 27 (CD27) signaling, CD137 signaling, tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, member 4 signaling, glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor-related (GITR) signaling and/or major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) signaling and/or activating CD40; a monoclonal antibody inhibiting transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling or killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) signaling; a cytokine selected from granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), a fms-related tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (FLT3L), interferon-alpha (IFN-α), interferon-alpha-2-beta (IFN-α2β), interferon gamma (IFNγ), interleukin-2 (IL2), interleukin-7 (IL-7), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interleukin-15 (IL-15); an immunocytokine; an immune cell presenting or sensitized to a tumor antigen; a cell secreting an immunogenic molecule; a dead tumor cell or a dying tumor cell expressing calreticulin (CRT) and/or producing high-mobility group protein B1 (HMGB1) and/or producing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in an immunogenic cell death (ICD) amount; or a Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonist selected from a TLR 2/4 agonist, a TLR 7 agonist, a TLR 7/8 agonist and a TLR 9 agonist. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the immunotherapeutic agent is an antibody selected from an anti-CTLA-4 antibody, an anti-PD-1 antibody, an anti-PD-L1 antibody, an anti-PD-L2 antibody; a monoclonal antibody enhancing CD27 signaling, CD137 signaling, tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, member 4 signaling, GITR signaling and/or MHCII signaling and/or activating CD40; a monoclonal antibody inhibiting TGF-β signaling or KIR signaling; a cytokine selected from granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), a fms-related tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (FLT3L), IFN-α, IFN-α2β, IFNγ, IL2, IL-7, IL-10 and IL-15; an immunocytokine; an immune cell presenting or sensitized to a tumor antigen; a cell secreting an immunogenic molecule; a dead tumor cell or a dying tumor cell expressing CRT and/or producing HMGB1 and/or producing ATP in a ICD amount; or a Toll-like receptor agonist selected from a TLR 2/4 agonist, a TLR 7 agonist, a TLR 7/8 agonist and a TLR 9 agonist.