Patent Application
20100215697
1. Technical Field
This document relates to methods and materials for making and using vaccines. For example, this document provides vaccines (e.g., whole cell vaccines and cell lysate vaccines) that can be used to treat cancer (e.g., human ovarian cancer).
2. Background Information
Cancer is a serious illness that affects many people every year. There are over one million new cancer cases and over 500,000 deaths per year from cancer in the United States. The high mortality rate from cancer highlights the need for improved cancer detection and treatment.
This document relates to methods and materials for making and using vaccines. For example, this document provides vaccines (e.g., whole cell vaccines and cell lysate vaccines) that can be used to treat cancer (e.g., human ovarian cancer). As described herein, cancer cells cultured under partial oxygen pressures (pO2) less than in ambient air (e.g., less than 21.2 kPa at sea level or ambient pressure at the particular altitude above sea level) or ambient air containing carbon dioxide, usually 5.0 percent, or pO2 greater than 21.2 kPa at sea level (or ambient pressure at the particular altitude above sea level) can have a macromolecular expression profile that is different than that observed in the same cells cultured under an pO2 of 21.2 kPa at sea level or ambient pressure at the particular altitude above sea level.
In general, one aspect of this document features a method for making a whole cell vaccine preparation. The method comprises culturing cells at an oxygen pressure of between 0.5 kPa and 10 kPa for a period of time of at least four hours, and obtaining the cells to produce the whole cell vaccine preparation. The cells can be ovarian cancer cells. The cells can be OV17, OV167, or OV207 cells. The oxygen pressure can be between 1 kPa and 5 kPa. The period of time can be at least 12 hours.
In another aspect, this document features a method for making a cell lysate vaccine preparation. The method comprises lysing cells cultured at an oxygen pressure of between 0.5 kPa and 10 kPa for a period of time of at least four hours, and combining the resulting lysate with a pharmaceutically-accepted carrier to produce the cell lysate vaccine preparation. The cells can be ovarian cancer cells. The cells can be OV17, OV167, or OV207 cells. The oxygen pressure can be between 1 kPa and 5 kPa. The period of time can be at least eight hours. The pharmaceutically-accepted carrier can be alum.
In another aspect, this document features a whole cell vaccine preparation comprising cancer cells cultured at an oxygen pressure of between 0.5 kPa and 10 kPa for a period of time of at least four hours. The cancer cells can be ovarian cancer cells. The cells can be OV17, OV167, or OV207 cells. The oxygen pressure can be between 1 kPa and 5 kPa. The period of time can be at least eight hours. The vaccine preparation can comprise a pharmaceutically-accepted carrier.
In another aspect, this document features a cell lysate vaccine preparation comprising a lysate of cancer cells cultured at an oxygen pressure of between 0.5 kPa and 10 kPa for a period of time of at least four hours. The cancer cells can be ovarian cancer cells. The cells can be OV17, OV167, or OV207 cells. The oxygen pressure can be between 1 kPa and 5 kPa. The period of time can be at least eight hours. The vaccine preparation can comprise a pharmaceutically-accepted carrier. The pharmaceutically-accepted carrier can be alum.
In another aspect, this document features a method for vaccinating a mammal having cancer. The method comprises administering, to the mammal, a whole cell vaccine preparation or cell lysate vaccine preparation made using cancer cells cultured at an oxygen pressure of between 0.5 kPa and 10 kPa for a period of time of at least four hours. The cancer cells can be ovarian cancer cells. The cells can be OV17, OV167, or OV207 cells. The oxygen pressure can be between 1 kPa and 5 kPa. The period of time can be at least eight hours. The vaccine preparation can comprise a pharmaceutically-accepted carrier. The pharmaceutically-accepted carrier can be alum. The mammal can be a human. The cancer cells can be obtained from the mammal prior to being cultured.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used to practice the invention, suitable methods and materials are described below. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and from the claims.
This document provides methods and materials for making and using vaccines. For example, this document provides vaccine preparations (e.g., whole cell vaccine and cell lysate vaccine preparations) that can be used to treat cancer (e.g., human ovarian cancer).
The vaccine preparations provided herein can be in the form of whole cell vaccine preparations or vaccine preparations containing products obtained from cells (e.g., a cell lysate vaccine preparation). In general, the vaccine preparations provided herein can be used to induce an immune response against any type of cancer including, without limitation, ovarian, prostate, colon, breast, kidney, liver, lung and other cancers. For example, the vaccine preparations provided herein can be designed to contain human ovarian cancer cells or a lysate of human ovarian cancer cells. Examples of ovarian cancer cells that can be cultured as described herein to make a vaccine preparation include, without limitation, the cell lines designated OV17, OV167, OV207, and other ovarian cancer cell lines. Table 1 provides a list of cancer cell lines that can be cultured as described herein to prepare a vaccine preparation to treat the indicated cancer. The vaccine preparations provided herein can be used to treat cancer in any type of mammal including, without limitation, humans, cows, pigs, monkeys, dogs, cats, horses, and other mammals.
The cells used to make a vaccine preparation provided herein can be cultured at a particular stable pO2 level between 0.5 and 21.2 kPa (e.g., between 0.5 and 20 kPa, between 1 and 20 kPa, between 5 and 20 kPa, between 0.5 and 10 kPa, between 0.5 and 5 kPa, between 0.5 and 2 kPa, between 1 and 10 kPa, between 1 and 5 kPa, or between 1 and 2 kPa) for a period of time greater than three hours (e.g., greater than 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 96 hours). In some cases, the cells can be cultured at 0.5 kPa, 2.0 kPa, 5 kPa, or 10 kPa. In some cases, the cells used to make a vaccine preparation provided herein can be cultured at an pO2 that is between 0.5 and 15 kPa for a period of time between 12 hours and four weeks (e.g., between 12 hours and two weeks, between 12 hours and one week, between 12 hours and three days, between 12 hours and 48 hours, between 24 hours and four weeks, between 24 hours and two weeks, or between 24 hours and one week).
The vaccine preparations provided herein can include whole cells or portions of cells (e.g., a cell lysate) in combination with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Examples of pharmaceutically acceptable carriers include, without limitation, alum and biodegradable three-dimensional macromolecular matrices. In some cases, a vaccine preparation provided herein can include whole cells or portions of cells that were cultured in serum-free conditions for at least the duration of one cell doubling.
The vaccine preparations provided herein can include whole cells or portion of cells (e.g., a cell lysate) combined ex vivo with autologous or haploidentical of allogeneic antigen presenting cells (APCs) that internalize them, process and present as epitopes. Examples of acceptable APCs include, without limitation, dendritic cells. In some cases, a vaccine preparation provided herein can include whole cells or portions of cells that were cultured in serum-free conditions for at least the duration of one cell doubling.
The vaccine preparations provided herein can include portions of cells (e.g., a cell lysate) combined ex vivo with bioartificial antigen-presenting carriers. Examples of bioartificial antigen-presenting carriers include three-dimensional particles, including but not limited to, nanoparticles and microsomes without or combined with antigen-presenting molecules and/or co-stimulatory molecules and/or releasable cytokines and/or chemokines In some cases, a vaccine preparation provided herein can include portions of cells that were cultured in serum-free conditions for at least the duration of one cell doubling.
The vaccine preparations provided herein can be used as stand alone vaccines or can be used in combination with other vaccines (e.g., one or more polypeptides derived from the sequence of antigens characteristic for the tissue of cancer being treated, e.g., MUC16 or CA125 for ovarian cancer).
In some cases, a vaccine preparation provided herein can be formulated with an adjuvant. An adjuvant can be an immunological compound that can enhance an immune response against a particular antigen preparation such as a whole cell preparation or cell lysate preparation provided herein. Suitable adjuvants include, without limitation, a thalidomide derivative (e.g., revlimid), Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG), monophosphoryl lipid A and its derivatives, and alum as well as other aluminum-based compounds (e.g., Al2O3) that can be obtained from various commercial suppliers. In some cases, MN51 can be combined with a vaccine preparation provided herein to form a composition that elicits an immune response when administered to a mammal. MN51 contains mannide oleate (MONTANIDE® 80, also known as anhydro mannitol octadecenoate) in mineral oil solution. Other adjuvants include immuno-stimulating complexes (ISCOMs) that can contain such components as cholesterol and saponins ISCOM matrices can be prepared and conjugated to Cu2+.
This document also provides methods for preparing a vaccine preparation provided herein. Such methods can involve culturing cancer cells under pO2 (e.g., controlled pO2) less than the pO2 in air or in air enriched with carbon dioxide, usually 5 percent, at ambient pressure at the particular elevation (such as 1-5 kPa) or greater than the pO2 in air or in air enriched with carbon dioxide, usually 5 percent, at ambient pressure at the particular elevation (such as 50-100 kPa) for a period of time as described herein. Once cultured, the cells can be harvested and used as a whole cell vaccine preparation or can be lysed to create a cell lysate vaccine. In some cases, particular portions or fractions of the cells can be used to make a vaccine preparation. In some cases, antigen-presenting cells, bioartificial antigen-presenting carriers, an adjuvant or a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier can be included. The combining step can be achieved by any appropriate method, including, for example, incubation, stirring, shaking, vortexing, or passing back and forth through a needle attached to a syringe.
It is noted that the compositions can be prepared in batch, such that enough unit doses are obtained for multiple injections (e.g., injections into multiple mammals or multiple injections into the same mammal). A “unit dose” of a composition provided herein refers to the amount of a composition administered to a mammal at one time. A unit dose of the compositions provided herein can contain any amount of cellular material. For example, a unit dose of a composition can contain between 1×106 cells and 100×106 cells or the amounts of lysate prepared from equivalent numbers of cells. Alternatively, doses can be defined as ranging from about 0.1 μg and about 1.0 g (e.g., 1 μg, 10 μg, 15 μg, 25 μg, 30 μg, 50 μg, 100 μg, 250 μg, 280 μg, 300 μg, 500 μg, 750 μg, 1 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, 25 mg, 30 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg, 250 mg, 280 mg, 300 mg, 500 mg, 750 mg, or more) of macromolecular material from cultured cells.
Methods for inducing a particular anti-cancer immune response in a mammal (e.g., a mouse, a rat, a cat, a dog, a horse, a cow, a non-human primate such as a cynomolgus monkey, or a human) include, without limitation, administering to a mammal an amount of a vaccine preparation provided herein that is effective for producing an anti-cancer response.
The vaccine preparations provided herein can be administered using any appropriate method. Administration can be, for example, by subcutaneous, intrathecal, intraventricular, intramuscular, or intraperitoneal injection, or by intravenous drip. Administration can be rapid (e.g., by injection) or can occur over a period of time (e.g., by slow infusion).
The invention will be further described in the following examples, which do not limit the scope of the invention described in the claims.
Oxygen pressure in standard cell culture is about 20 kPa. To determine if pO2 affects ovarian cancer (OvCa) cells developed for an injectable vaccine, human OvCa cells OV17, OV167, or OV207 were cultured at an pO2 of either 1-2 kPa, 20 kPa, or 90 kPa. The cultures were analyzed for the following: proliferation, secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF, a hallmark of OvCa), level of intracellular hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), and cellular proteome. VEGF concentration in the media increased with time at all pO2 values (p<0.01). An pO2 of 1-2 kPa enhanced the rate of VEGF secretion in all cells. An pO2 of 90 kPa abolished proliferation (p=0.0008), but unexpectedly boosted VEGF secretion (p=0.0258). HIF-1α levels were compared in cells cultured at an pO2 of 20 kPa and cells cultured at an pO2 of 1-2 kPa or at an pO2 of 90 kPa for 18 to 24 hours. HIF-1α levels in cells cultured at an pO2 of 1-2 kPa were higher than that observed in cells cultured at an pO2 of 20 kPa. Interestingly, cells cultured at an pO2 of 90 kPa also expressed high HIF-1α levels paralleling high VEGF secretion. Adherent OvCa cells responded both to hypoxia (e.g., an pO2 of 1-2 kPa) and hyperoxia (e.g., an pO2 of 90 kPa) by elevated levels of HIF-1α and VEGF.
About 1,400 spots were analyzed on 2D gels of OV167 cells grown at an pO2 of either 2 kPa or 20 kPa. 919 spots (66%) matched in position. Of these, 192 spots changed intensity twofold, 51 spots fivefold, and 16 spots tenfold or more. Several spots were present only in cells cultured at an pO2 of 2 kPa or an pO2 of 20 kPa. These findings support the hypothesis that pO2 levels modify protein expression patterns of cultured OvCa cells.
These results demonstrate that whole cell vaccines and cell lysate vaccines can be prepared using cells cultured under controlled pO2 (e.g., an pO2 less than 20 kPa such as 1-5 kPa or an pO2 greater than 20 kPa such as 50-100 kPa).
OV17, OV167, or OV207 cells are cultured from the vaccine-grade master cell banks at pO2 of either 1-2 kPa or 90 kPa in a clinical (cGMP) grade cell culture medium containing cGMP-grade fetal bovine serum, or human serum, or synthetic supplements that support growth and/or viability of the cells. After the period required to complete at least one full cell cycle in culture, the cells are pooled, and harvested. The cells are irradiated prior to aliquotting to render them replication incompetent. The dose of irradiation used is 150 Gy. Samples of frozen cells are tested for sterility, presence of mycoplasma and lypolysaccharide, ability to proliferate and are subjected to other tests as required. The cells are released for administration after meeting all release criteria. Prior to injection, the cells of the three cell lines are thawed and mixed. The cells can be injected directly as the whole-cell vaccine. Alternatively, the cells can be incubated ex vivo with patient's own antigen-presenting cells (such as dendritic cells), allogeneic antigen-presenting cells, or biosynthetic antigen-presenting systems. Combinations of cancer vaccine cells and antigen-presenting cells can be further incubated with agents that will mature and/or modify the antigen-presenting cells.
The cells described in Example 2 are lysed. Methods for lysis can include one or more of the following: repeated freeze-thaw cycles, osmotic shock, radiation, heat, cold, pressure, grinding, sonication, drying, and detergents. Cell lysate is then incubated with the patient's own antigen-presenting cells, allogeneic antigen-presenting cells (such as dendritic cells), or biosynthetic antigen-presenting systems. Combinations of cancer vaccine cell lysates and antigen-presenting cells can be further incubated with agents that will mature and/or modify the antigen-presenting cells.
The effects of pO2 on select biological properties of prostate cancer (PCa) cells in culture was studied. As a model, the well-known human LnCaP cells derived from a lymph node metastasis (Horoszewicz et al., Cancer Res., 43:1809-18 (1983)) were used. This cell line was established in 1977 and was deposited in the ATCC reference bank (see, e.g., ATCC Number CRL-1740). LnCaP cells express prostate specific antigen (PSA) and retain a functional androgen receptor pathway. In two-dimensional cultures, hypoxic LnCaP cells (pO2=2 kPa) proliferated faster than cell cultured at standard cell culture conditions (
To determine how LnCaP cells grown under hypocial compare to LnCaP cells grown normoxically with regard to raising and immune response in humans, the following was performed to determine if sera from PCa patients contained spontaneous antibodies cross-reactive with LnCaP cells. Two-dimensional electrophoresis of LnCaP cell lysate was performed, and the resolved proteins were transferred to the nylon membrane that was incubated with a PCa patient's plasma, washed, and incubated with the anti-human IgG antibody to detect the putative sites of human antibody binding. As a result, numerous LnCaP cell proteins were found to bind antibodies from PCa patients (
It is to be understood that while the invention has been described in conjunction with the detailed description thereof, the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Other aspects, advantages, and modifications are within the scope of the following claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/155,756, filed Feb. 26, 2009. The disclosure of the prior application is considered part of (and is incorporated by reference in) the disclosure of this application.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61155756 | Feb 2009 | US |
