A therapeutic cancer vaccine targeting carcinoembryonic antigen in intestinal carcinomas

Hum Gene Ther. 2009 Feb;20(2):125-36. doi: 10.1089/hum.2008.116.

Abstract

A genetic vaccine platform based on DNA electroporation (DNA-EP) and adenovirus (Ad) was used to generate immune response against human carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and antitumor effects in murine models with spontaneous tumors arising in an orthotopic location. CEA transgenic (CEA.Tg) mice treated with the carcinogen 1,2-dimethylhydrazine developed CEA-overexpressing tumors that resembled human sporadic colorectal cancer. APC1638N/CEA hybrid mice, generated by crossing mice carrying the adenomatous polyposis coli (Apc1638N) gene mutation with CEA.Tg mice, are representative of human familial polyposis and develop polyps that overexpress the antigen. In both models, the DNA-EP/Ad vaccine succeeded in breaking immune tolerance and achieved significant antitumor effects in therapeutic settings. Our data suggest that genetic vaccines targeting CEA may be feasible strategies against gut tumors that overexpress the antigen. In addition, these models are powerful systems for evaluating antigen-specific tumor immunity and assessing therapeutic vaccine strategies for human colorectal cancer.

MeSH terms

  • Adenomatous Polyps / immunology
  • Adenomatous Polyps / pathology
  • Adenomatous Polyps / therapy*
  • Adenoviridae / genetics
  • Animals
  • Cancer Vaccines / genetics
  • Cancer Vaccines / therapeutic use*
  • Carcinoembryonic Antigen / genetics
  • Carcinoembryonic Antigen / metabolism*
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / immunology
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / pathology
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Genetic Vectors* / genetics
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Reference Standards
  • Up-Regulation

Substances

  • Cancer Vaccines
  • Carcinoembryonic Antigen