Prospects for immunotherapy of malignant disease

• Published in: Clinical and experimental immunology Vol. 131; no. 1; pp. 1 - 7
• Main Authors: MORRIS, E. C., BENDLE, G. M., STAUSS, H. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01.01.2003; Blackwell; Oxford University Press; Blackwell Publishing Inc
• Subjects: adoptive transfer; allo‐restricted CTL; Animals; Antigens, Neoplasm - immunology; Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate - administration & dosage; Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate - immunology; Antineoplastic agents; Biological and medical sciences; Cancer Vaccines - administration & dosage; Chemotherapy; Forecasting; Genetic Therapy - methods; Histocompatibility Antigens Class I - immunology; Humans; immunotherapy; Immunotherapy, Adoptive - methods; Immunotherapy, Adoptive - trends; Medical sciences; Mice; Models, Animal; Neoplasms - immunology; Neoplasms - prevention & control; Neoplasms - therapy; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell - genetics; Review; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic - immunology; TCR gene transfer; Transduction, Genetic; Tumor Escape; Vaccination; Human; T cell receptor; Immune response; Vaccination; Cytotoxicity; Malignant hemopathy; Review; Malignant tumor; immunotherapy vaccination adoptive transfer allo-restricted CTL TCR gene transfer; Adoptive transfer; Genetic transfer; Histocompatibility restriction; Immunotherapy; T-Lymphocyte
• ISSN: 0009-9104; 1365-2249
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2249.2003.02055.x

SUMMARY The majority of T cell‐recognized tumour antigens in humans are encoded by genes that are also present in normal tissues. Low levels of gene expression in normal cells can lead to the inactivation of high‐avidity T cells by immunological tolerance mechanisms. As a consequence, low‐avidity T cell responses in patients are often inadequate in providing tumour protection. Recently, several technologies have been developed to overcome tolerance, allowing the isolation of high‐affinity, HLA‐restricted receptors specific for tumour‐associated peptide epitopes. Furthermore, transfer of HLA‐restricted antigen receptors provides an opportunity to empower patient T cells with new tumour‐reactive specificities that cannot be retrieved from the autologous T cell repertoire.