This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Mattner, F. Articles by Buschle, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Mattner, F. Articles by Buschle, M.

Vaccination with Poly-L-Arginine As Immunostimulant for Peptide Vaccines: Induction of Potent and Long-Lasting T-Cell Responses against Cancer Antigens

Intercell Biomedizinische Forschungs und Entwicklungs AG, Rennweg 95B, 1030 Vienna, Austria

Vaccines that induce high numbers of sustained T cell responses are urgently needed for the treatment of numerous diseases including cancer.

Antigen-presenting cells (APCs), the most important of which are dendritic cells, orchestrate antigen-dependent T cell responses in that they present antigens to T cells in an appropriate environment. Here we present evidence that after vaccination with a simple mixture of the cationic poly-amino acid poly-L-arginine and tumor antigen-derived peptide antigens, large numbers of antigen-specific T cells are induced and APCs mediate the generation of T lymphocytes. We observe that after s.c. injection, MHC class II⁺ cells infiltrate injection sites and are loaded with large amounts of antigen in vivo under the influence of poly-L-arginine. Consequently, numerous antigen-charged APCs can be detected in draining lymph nodes of vaccinated animals. Antigen-specific T cell responses induced are systemic and were readily detected more than 4 months after the last vaccination, the latest time point we measured. By contrast, even after repeat injections, we were consistently unable to detect antibody responses against poly-L-arginine, allowing this compound to be used for numerous booster injections.

Clinical trials in cancer patients using poly-L-arginine as immunostimulant will be carried out in the near future.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. M. Doherty and P. Andersen Vaccines for Tuberculosis: Novel Concepts and Recent Progress Clin. Microbiol. Rev., October 1, 2005; 18(4): 687 - 702. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Nair, C. McLaughlin, A. Weizer, Z. Su, D. Boczkowski, J. Dannull, J. Vieweg, and E. Gilboa Injection of Immature Dendritic Cells into Adjuvant-Treated Skin Obviates the Need for Ex Vivo Maturation J. Immunol., December 1, 2003; 171(11): 6275 - 6282. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Luhrs, W. Schmidt, R. Kutil, M. Buschle, S. N. Wagner, G. Stingl, and A. Schneeberger Induction of Specific Immune Responses by Polycation-Based Vaccines J. Immunol., November 1, 2002; 169(9): 5217 - 5226. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]