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Use of Anti-idiotype Antibodies
to Induce an Immune Response to Tumors
Inventors:
Hilary Koprowski, Dorothee
Herlyn, and Elaine DeFreitas
Tech
ID: KH-8340
Description:
The development of vaccines remains a promising therapeutic approach
for the treatment of many types of cancer. One limitation to vaccines
and other forms of immunotherapy for cancer is that many of the
antigens and epitopes expressed by tumor cells are weakly immunogenic.
Wistar researchers have developed a method for using anti-idiotype
antibodies in a vaccine to induce a strong immune response to the
antigens and epitopes of a patient's solid tumor. These anti-idiotype
antibodies may be monoclonal or polyclonal.
The idiotype represents the highly
variable antigen-binding site of an antibody and is itself immunogenic.
During the generation of an antibody-mediated immune response, an
individual will develop antibodies to the antigen as well as anti-idiotype
antibodies, whose immunogenic binding site (idiotype) mimics the
antigen. Thus the anti-idiotype antibodies may generate a strong
immune response to tumor antigens and be effective for treating
and/or preventing cancers.
Key Words:
Therapeutic, cancer, immunotherapy
Applications
and Advantages: Vaccines containing anti-idiotypic antibodies
may be useful in inducing a strong immune response to tumor antigens
for both treatment and prevention of a variety of solid tumors.
Intellectual
Property Status: This technology is protected by U.S. Patent
5,053,224, issued October 1, 1991, and corresponding foreign patents.
Licensing
Opportunity: A non-exclusive license
to the technology is available for any
organization that is developing anti-idiotype
vaccines for cancer.
Contact:
Meryle
J. Melnicoff
Director, Business Development
The Wistar Institute
3601 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: (215) 898-0049
Fax: (215) 573-2456
melnicoff@wistar.org
Last updated: Nov.
99
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