CLINICAL EVALUATION OF A CD40-ACTIVATED B CELL VACCINE TO PREVENT LYMPHOMA RELAPSE INDOGS

摘要

Canine lymphoma is the most common hematopoeitic cancer in dogs with an estimated annual incidence of 30/100,000. Chemotherapy induces remission in 75-85% of dogs, however, the majority relapse with drug-resistant lymphoma within 8-10 months of diagnosis and most dogs die of their disease. Alternative approaches are required to improve overall survival. Immune therapy in the form of targeted monoclonal antibodies such as Rituximab, cell based vaccine strategies such as antigen-pulsed dendritic cellsand most recently, genetically modified T cells re-directed to target universal B cell antigens such as CD 19 and CD20 have all shown clinical benefit in human patients with lymphomas and leukemias. In veterinary medicine, different vaccine approaches aimed at generating anti-tumor T cell responses have been reported, some showing promising early evidence of safety and therapeutic efficacy. Here we will focus on our work with autologous RNA loaded CD40-activated B cells (CD40-B cells) that we have employed in the adjuvant setting to prevent lymphoma relapse.