Dendritic cell (DC) based therapy for cervical cancer:: use of DC pulsed with tumour lysate and matured with a novel synthetic clinically non-toxic double stranded RNA analogue poly [I]:poly [C12U] (Ampligen®)

Human papilloma virus (HPV) found in 99.7% of cervical cancers represents an attractive immunotherapeutic target for novel adjuvant dendritic cell (DC) immunotherapy. DC primed with HPV antigens have been shown to be capable of inducing CTL responses powerful enough to eradicate established murine tumours expressing HPV16 antigen. The use of tumour lysate has been found to be an effective means of priming DC with tumour associated antigens in animal models and in clinical trials leading to significant anti-tumour responses. Autologous DC primed with sonicated HPV expressing tumour lysate have been shown to be capable of inducing HPV specific classes I and II T-cell immunity in a pilot clinical study. Synthetic double stranded polyribonucleotides are effective in vitro activation/maturation agents capable of inducing a stable mature DC phenotype producing high levels of IL12. However, the prototype polymer poly [1]:poly [G] has proved to be clinically toxic. Preliminary in vitro data have demonstrated that a novel clinically non-toxic analogue polymer poly [I]:poly [C12U] (Ampligen(R)) can effectively induce in vitro maturation of human monocyte derived DC with sustained bioactive IL12 production. Human monocyte derived DC primed with tumour lysate and matured with synthetic dsRNA may therefore offer an effective way of optimising Th1 specific anti-cancer T-cell responses in cancer patients. This strategy is currently being tested in a clinical trial in patients with cervical cancer. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.