Immunization With Activated Lymphocytes Shows Promise in Phase I Trial.(cancer immunotherapy)

2001 SEP 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) --

by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Pharmacologically activated draining lymph node cells show promise as an adoptive immunotherapy (AIT) for cancer patients although further refinement of laboratory techniques may be necessary.

H.D. Bear and colleagues at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, tried to overcome a potential limitation of AIT with T lymphocytes, the need to activate tumor antigen-sensitized cells in vitro, described in their study published in Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy.

Their previous studies in mice showed that AIT with tumor-sensitized T cells that have been pharmacologically activated with bryostatin I and ionomycin plus interleukin-2 (IL-2) could induce tumor regression.

In this Phase I clinical trial, Bear and coworkers vaccinated six subjects with tumor- or vaccine-draining lymph node cells, activated pharmacologically and expanded in culture with low-dose IL-2 and infused intravenously, followed by IL-2 infusion.

Cells expanded an average of 118-fold over 13 to 27 days in culture although no patient's cells reached the target number of 2.5 (times) 10(10), reported Bear and coauthors.

No unexpected side effects were seen and those that occurred were related to IL-2, the researchers said ("Adoptive immunotherapy of cancer with pharmacologically activated lymph ...