Method of Inducing an Immune Response

A method of inducing or enhancing an immune response in a mammal to a target polypeptide expressed in a plurality of cells of the mammal, which method comprises administering to the mammal an inhibitory nucleic acid which targets a region of an RNA which encodes said polypeptide, such that at least a portion of the polypeptide, which portion comprises a T cell epitope, is presented on the surface of the cells bound to major histocompatibility complex (MHC).

A pharmaceutical composition comprising an inhibitory nucleic acid which targets a region of an RNA which encodes a target polypeptide expressed in a plurality of cells of a mammal, such that translation of an aberrant form of the target polypeptide occurs in said cells, said aberrant form of the target polypeptide comprising one or more T cell epitopes, together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent.

A pharmaceutical composition comprising an inhibitory nucleic acid which targets a region of an RNA which encodes a target polypeptide expressed in a plurality of cells of a mammal, such that such that at least a portion of the polypeptide, which portion comprises a T cell epitope, is presented on the surface of the cells bound to MHC, together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent.

A method of killing tumour cells in a mammal which method comprises administering to the mammal an inhibitory nucleic acid which targets a region of an RNA which encodes a target polypeptide expressed in said tumour cells of the mammal, such that translation of an aberrant form of the target polypeptide, comprising one or more T cell epitopes, occurs in said cells.

A method of killing tumour cells in a mammal which method comprises administering to the mammal an inhibitory nucleic acid which targets a region of an RNA which encodes a target polypeptide expressed in said tumour cells of the patient, such that at least a portion of the polypeptide, which portion comprises a T cell epitope, is presented on the surface of the cells bound to MHC.

A method of treating a disease caused by an intracellular pathogen which method comprises administering to a mammal suffering from said disease an inhibitory nucleic acid which targets a region of an RNA which encodes a target polypeptide expressed by the pathogen in cells of the mammal, such that translation of an aberrant form of the target polypeptide, comprising one or more T cell epitopes, occurs in said cells.

A method of treating a disease caused by an intracellular pathogen which method comprises administering to a mammal suffering from said disease an inhibitory nucleic acid which targets a region of an RNA which encodes a target polypeptide expressed by the pathogen in cells of the mammal, such that that at least a portion of the polypeptide, which portion comprises a T cell epitope, is presented on the surface of the cells bound to MHC.