Tumor therapy

Abstract

Neoplasia is treated by administering to a mammalian host a composition comprising ligands for the NKG2D receptor. In addition, other NKG2D ligands, proteins specific for the neoplastic cells and cytokines may be included to enhance the immune response. The composition may be cells comprising expression constructs for the ligands, liposomes or combinations of protein molecules.

Description

[0001]The invention described herein was supported in part by a grant (NIH Grant No. A135021) from the National Institute of Health. The U.S. government may have rights in this application and any patent issuing thereon.INTRODUCTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The field of this invention is treatment of neoplasia.[0004]2. Background of the Invention[0005]Natural killer cells attack many tumor cell lines in vitro, and, after activation, can attack primary tumor cells1. NK cells have therefore long been thought to be involved in tumor surveillance and to be an important part of anti-tumor immunity2-8, but the basis for the interaction between NK cells and tumor targets remains largely unknown. Recently, the stimulatory lectin-like NKG2D receptor has been characterized9-15. In mice, the receptor is expressed by NK cells, activated CD8+ T cells and activated macrophages, and receptor engagement can stimulate or costimulate these cells14-15. Several distinct families of cell surf...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

While the prevalence of these ligands on highly tumorigenic cells suggests they might provide a target for therapeutic intervention, it also suggested that their presence is insufficient to provoke a host rejection of the tumor.