Cancer Vaccine Against Aurora Kinase

Ehime, Japan -

Cancer vaccines are attractive because of their general lack of toxicity, their ability to selectively destroy malignant tissue, as well as possibility of preventing micrometastasis.  Immunotherapy of cancer has been attempted for more than a century, however conflicting results and lack of clear-cut benefit in Phase III trials has dampened many people's enthusiasm for this approach. 

Of the numerous cancers, there is some indication that chronic myeloid leukemia is somewhat immunogenic.  For example, patients with chronic myeloid leukemia that respond to interferon therapy usually have higher levels of T cells that recognize antigenic components associated with chronic myeloid leukemia such as peptides from BCR-ABL or other leukemia oncogenes.  

In a recent study (Ochi et al.  Aurora-A kinase: A novel target of cellular immunotherapy for leukemia. Blood. 2008 Sep 26) a peptide was generated from the oncogene aurora kinase that fits in MHC I molecules and thus potentially a good immunotherapeutic. 

This peptide could generate cytotoxic T lymphocytes in vitro which were able to selectively kill CML cells but not healthy CD34 stem cells.

Most importantly, using tetramers it was found that patients with CML have circulating T cells recognizing this peptide in circulation.

These data provide a new immunotherapeutic approach to CML.  Such an approach may be particularly useful in patients who have achieved remission using gleevec or other kinase inhibitors and do not feel like having a relapse.  It may also be useful for post-bone marrow transplantation to prevent relapse.