Inventors:
Michael S Halpern - West Newton MA
James M England - Media PA
Assignee:
Philadelphia Health and Educational Corporation - Philadelphia PA
International Classification:
A61K 3500
US Classification:
424 9321, 424 932, 435325, 4353201, 514 44
Abstract:
A cellular immunogen is provided for immunizing a host against the effects of the product of a target proto-oncogene, where the overexpression of the target proto-oncogene is associated with a malignancy. The cellular immunogen comprises host cells which have been transfected with at least one transgene construct comprising a transgene cognate to the target proto-oncogene and a strong promoter to drive the expression of the transgene in the transfected cells. The transgene encodes a gene product which induces host immunoreactivity to host self-determinants of the product of the target proto-oncogene gene. The transgene may comprise, for example, wild-type or mutant retroviral oncogene DNA cognate to the target proto-oncogene; or wild-type or mutant proto-oncogene DNA of a species different from the host species. The cellular immunogen may be prepared from biopsied host cells, e. g. skin fibroblasts, which are stably or transiently transfected with the transgene construct containing the cognate transgene.