Inducing cellular immune responses to her2/neu using peptide and nucleic acid compositions

A clonal cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL), wherein the CTL is cultured in vitro and binds to a complex of an epitope selected from the group set out in Tables XXIII, XXIV, XXV, XXVI, and XXVII, bound to an HLA molecule.

A peptide comprising at least a first and a second epitope, wherein the first epitope is selected from the group consisting of the sequences set out in Tables XXIII, XXIV, XXV, XXVI, XXVII, and XXXI;

• wherein the peptide comprise less than 50 contiguous amino acids that have 100% identity with a native peptide sequence.

A vaccine composition comprising:

• a unit dose of a peptide that comprises less than 50 contiguous amino acids that have 100% identity with a native peptide sequence of HER2/neu, the peptide comprising at least a first epitope selected from the group consisting of the sequences set out in Tables XXIII, XXIV, XXV, XXVI, XXVII, and XXXI;
• and;
• a pharmaceutical excipient.

An isolated nucleic acid encoding a peptide comprising an epitope consisting of a sequence selected from the group consisting of the sequences set out in Tables XXIII, XXIV, XXV, XXVI, XXVII, and XXXI.

An isolated nucleic acid encoding a peptide comprising at least a first and a second epitope, wherein the first epitope is selected from the group consisting of the sequences set out in Table XXIII, XXIV, XXV, XXVI, XXVII, and XXXI;

• and wherein the peptide comprises less than 50 contiguous amino acids that have 100% identity with a native peptide sequence.