Methods for preparation of vaccines against cancer

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to methods for producing increased amounts of immunogenic material which can be used for prevention and treatment of cancer.
The immunogenic compositions prepared by the methods of the invention comprise noncovalently associated molecular complexes of a heat shock protein (hsp) and an antigenic (or immunogenic) peptide.
The complexes prepared by the methods of the invention are intracellularly produced complexes comprising hsps from a selected recombinant host cell and antigenic peptides expressed from cDNAs of a cancer cell; the antigenic peptides of the complex are thus representative of antigenic peptides found in such cancer cell.
The present invention provides methods for making a cDNA library from cancer cells, using the cDNA library to produce by recombinant DNA methods in host cells immunogenic hsp-peptide complexes that confer immunity to the cancer cells in an individual to which the complexes are administered.
Generally, the methods of the invention comprise obtaining (e.
g.
, isolating) cancer cells from one or more individuals, preparing RNA from the cancer cells, making cDNA from the RNA, introducing the cDNA into host cells, culturing the host cells so that the cancer-derived cDNAs are expressed, and purifying heat shock protein-peptide complexes from the host cells.
The cDNA prepared from cancer cell RNA, herein referred to as "cancer cDNA", is optionally amplified prior to introduction into a host cell for expression.
The cDNAs are optionally inserted into a cloning vector for replication purposes prior to expression.
The cDNAs are inserted into an expression vector or intrachromosomally integrated, operatively linked to regulatory element(s) such as a promoter, for purposes of expressing the encoded proteins in suitable host cells in vitro.
The cDNAs are introduced into host cells where they are expressed by the host cells, thereby producing intracellularly noncovalent complexes of hsps and peptides (including those peptides encoded by the cancer cDNAs)