| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Jean Publicover,3
John K. Rose,4 and
Daniel DiMaio5*
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences,1 Investigative Medicine Program,2 Microbiology Graduate Program,3 Department of Pathology,4 Departments of Genetics, Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Therapeutic Radiology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, Connecticut 065105
Received 21 August 2007/ Returned for modification 20 November 2007/ Accepted 12 February 2008
We are developing recombinant attenuated vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) as a vaccine vector to generate humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. Here, we explore the use of VSV vaccines for cancer immunotherapy. Immunotherapy targeting high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) lesions has the potential to benefit HPV-infected individuals and cervical cancer patients by generating cytotoxic T cells that kill tumor cells that express viral antigens. A single dose of VSV expressing the HPV type 16 (HPV16) E7 oncogene was used for therapeutic vaccination of mice bearing TC-1 syngeneic tumors, which express HPV16 E7. HPV16 E7-specific T cells were generated and displayed cytotoxic activity against the tumor cells. By 14 days postvaccination, average tumor volumes were 10-fold less in the vaccinated group than in mice that received the empty-vector VSV, and regression of preexisting tumors occurred in some cases. This antitumor effect was CD8 T-cell dependent. Our results demonstrate antitumor responses to HPV16 E7 and suggest that recombinant-VSV-based vaccination should be explored as a therapeutic strategy for cervical carcinoma and other HPV-associated cancers.
Published ahead of print on 12 March 2008.
Present address: Department of Ob/Gyn, University of Pennsylvania, 421 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104.
| Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. | Clin. Microbiol. Rev. | Infect. Immun. |
|---|---|---|
| J. Clin. Microbiol. | J. Virol. | ALL ASM JOURNALS |