Controlled release of pharmaceutically active substances for immunotherapy
AssigneeThe Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
InventorsDrew Pardoll, Rosa Azhari, Kam W. Leong, Paul Golumbek, Elizabeth Jaffee, Hyam Levitsky, Audrey Lazenby
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Abstract
A method of stimulating a systemic immune response to a tumor cell or antigen associated with a pathogen by administering a mixture of a controlled release vehicle containing an immunopotentiating agent and antigen is described. The method of the invention provides sustained release of therapeutic compounds to allow a host immune system to ameliorate local as well as metastatic tumors in the host. The immunopotentiating agent is typically a cytokine such as tumor necrosis factor, GM-CSF, interleukin or interferon, for example.
Claims13
A method of stimulating a systemic immune response to a tumor antigen in a subject which comprises:
- a) providing a composition which comprises:
- i) a controlled release vehicle containing an immunopotentiating agent selected from granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor and interferon and
- ii) an antigen selected from the group consisting of a melanoma tumor antigen and a melanoma tumor cell;
- and
- b) administering the composition from step a) to the subject, wherein administration of the composition induces the systemic immune response.
A pharmaceutical composition for inducing a systemic immune response comprising:
- a) a controlled release vehicle containing an immunopotentiating agent selected from the granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor and interferon and
- b) an antigen selected from the group consisting of a melanoma tumor antigen and a melanoma tumor cell, in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.