Three new targets found for cancer vaccines.(Brief Article)

2002 APR 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Investigators at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research have discovered three new genes that may prompt the immune system to seek out and destroy cancer cells. The genes belong to a specialized group of proteins known as cancer/testis (CT) antigens.

In certain tumors, CT antigens are abnormally expressed, acting as a target for killer T cells to attack. Although CT antigens do not generally elicit enough immune cells to destroy tumors on their own, the findings may lead to new treatments that help the immune system finish the job.

"CT antigens are probably the most highly restricted tumor antigens we know of," said Dr. Mathew Scanlan, assistant member of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, New York Branch at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, and lead author of the study. "By having a clear target to hit - and more of them - we can design highly select treatment vaccines that bolster the body's natural ability to fight cancer."

The results appear in the April 2002 issue of the International Journal of Cancer.

CT antigens are normally expressed in developing reproductive cells, but in adults they are found only in male testis and in tumors. Previous research has identified 14 CT antigens. Scanlan's team found three new CT antigens by reviewing entries in the Unigene database, a computer program that archives nearly 3.5 million DNA sequences. They also reviewed RNA expression patterns in a more ...