METHODS AND DEVICES FOR IMMUNIZING A HOST TO TUMOR-ASSOCIATED ANTIGENS THROUGH ADMINISTRATION OF NAKED POLYNUCLEOTIDES WHICH ENCODE TUMOR-ASSOCIATED ANTIGENIC PEPTIDES

摘要

The invention is directed to methods for introducing biologically activepeptides into a host administration of polynucleotides which operativelyencode for the peptide of interest. In a preferred embodiment of theinvention, a host who has been identified as having a tumor bearing at leastone tumor-associated antigen is the recipient of a polynucleotide whichoperatively encodes for a foreign mimic of the tumor-associated antigen or amutation of the self-antigen. The antigen-encoding polynucleotides areadministered to host tissues which have a high concentration of antigenpresenting cells in them relative to other host tissues. The method isparticularly useful in treating cancer through induction of antigen-specificcytotoxic T lymphocytes in the host for lysis of tumor cells bearing theantigen. Devices and compositions for use in the methods of the invention arealso described.