Yonsei Med J.  2007 Feb;48(1):1-10. 10.3349/ymj.2007.48.1.1.

Therapeutic Vaccine for Lymphoma

• Lee ST
• Neelapu SS
• Kwak LW

• KMID: 1093517
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2007.48.1.1

Abstract

The unique antigenic determinants (Idiotype [Id]) of the immunoglobulin expressed on a given B-cell malignancy can serve as a tumor-specific antigen for active immunotherapy. Therapeutic vaccines targeting the tumor-specific idiotype have demonstrated promising results against lymphomas in phase I/II studies and are currently being evaluated in phase III randomized trials. Additional vaccine therapies being developed include those based on DNA, dendritic cells, gene-modified tumor cells. It is hoped that immunotherapeutic agents, used in tandem or in combination, may in the future allow effective treatment of lymphoid malignancies and delay or even replace the need for conventional cytotoxic therapies.

Keyword

Idiotype; immunotherapy; lymphoma; vaccine

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Idiotype as a tumor antigen specific for B cell lymphoma. Malignancies of mature and resting B cells arise from clonal proliferation of cells that express immunoglobulins on their cell surface. Immunoglobulin molecules are composed of heavy and light chains, which possess highly specific variable regions at their amino termini and constant regions at their carboxy termini. The variable regions contain unique determinants termed idiotype (Id) that can be recognized as an antigen. The unique antigenic determinants are most likely derived from the hypervariable complementarity-determining regions (CDR), but not framework (FW) regions of the variable regions of heavy and light chains.18 Amino acid numbers in the variable heavy chain region are shown from the amino (NH2) terminus end.

• 

  Fig. 2 Schematic diagram showing the production of Id protein vaccine using hybridoma technology. Id vaccines are custom-made from each patient's own tumor cells by fusion to the immortal myeloma cells. The Id protein is then chemically linked to the foreign protein KLH, combined with an immune-adjuvant and injected under the skin. IgVH, immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region; CDR3, complementarity-determining region 3.

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