332 results about "Interferon gamma" patented technology

Attenuated recombinant viruses containing DNA coding for a cytokine and / or a tumor associated antigen, as well as methods and compositions employing the viruses, are disclosed and claimed. The recombinant viruses can be NYVAC or ALVAC recombinant viruses. The DNA can code for at least on of: human tumor necrosis factor; nuclear phosphoprotein p53, wildtype or mutant; human melanoma-associated antigen; IL-2; IFNgamma; IL-4; GNCSF; IL-12; B7; erb-B-2 and carcinoembryonic antigen. The recombinant viruses and gene products therefrom are useful for cancer therapy.

The present invention pertains to methods and pharmaceutical compositions for modulating an immune response. The method of the present invention involves administration of an effective amount of nucleic acid molecules encoding interleukin-12 (IL-12), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), or a combination thereof, to a patient in need of such treatment. The pharmaceutical compositions of the invention contain nucleic acid molecules encoding IL-12 and / or IFN-γ and an operably-linked promoter sequence. In another aspect, the present invention concerns expression vectors containing a nucleotide sequence encoding IL-12 and IFN-γ, and an operably-linked promoter sequence. In another aspect, the present invention concerns cells genetically modified with a nucleotide sequence encoding IL-12 and IFN-γ.

A mechanism of macrophage-induced T cell suppression is the selective elimination of tryptophan and / or increase in one or more tryptophan metabolites within the local macrophage microenvironment. Studies demonstrate that expression of IDO can serve as a marker of suppression of T cell activation, and may play a significant role in allogeneic pregnancy and therefore other types of transplantation, and that inhibitors of IDO can be used to activate T cells and therefore enhance T cell activation when the T cells are suppressed by pregnancy, malignancy or a virus such as HIV. Inhibiting tryptophan degradation (and thereby increasing tryptophan concentration while decreasing tryptophan metabolite concentration), or supplementing tryptophan concentration, can therefore be used in addition to, or in place of, inhibitors of IDO. Similarly, increasing tryptophan degradation (thereby, decreasing tryptophan concentration and increasing tryptophan metabolite concentration), for example, by increasing IDO concentration or IDO activity, can suppress T cells. Although described particularly with reference to IDO regulation, one can instead manipulate local tryptophan concentrations, and / or modulate the activity of the high affinity tryptophan transporter, and / or administer other tryptophan degrading enzymes. Regulation can be further manipulated using cytokines such as macrophage colony stimulating factor, interferon gamma, alone or in combination with antigen or other cytokines.