METHOD AND COMPOSITIONS FOR STIMULATION OF AN IMMUNE RESPONSE TO A DIFFERENTIATION ANTIGEN STIMULATED BY AN ALTERED DIFFERENTIATION ANTIGEN

摘要

Tolerance of the immune system for self-differentiation antigens can beovercome and an immune response stimulated by administration of a therapeuticdifferentiation antigen. The therapeutic differentiation antigen is alteredwith respect to the target differentiation antigen in the individual beingtreated (i.e., the differentiation antigen to which an immune response isdesired) in one of three ways. First, the therapeutic differentiation antigenmay be syngeneic with the target differentiation antigen, provided thattherapeutic differentiation antigen is expressed in cells of a speciesdifferent from the individual being treated. For example, a humandifferentiation antigen expressed in insect or other non-human host cells canbe used to stimulate an immune response to the differentiation antigen in ahuman subject. Second, the therapeutic differentiation antigen may be a mutantform of a syngeneic differentiation antigen, for example a glycosylationmutant. Third, the therapeutic differentiation antigen may be adifferentiation antigen (wild-type or mutant) of the same type from a speciesdifferent from the individual being treated. For example, a mousedifferentiation antigen can be used to stimulate an immune response to thecorresponding differentiation antigen in a human subject. Administration ofaltered antigens in accordance with the invention results in an effectiveimmunity against the original antigen expressed by the cancer in the treatedindividual.