METHODS OF ENHANCING IMMUNE RESPONSE USING ELECTROPORATION-ASSISTED VACCINATION AND BOOSTING

(WO/2008/063555) METHODS OF ENHANCING IMMUNE RESPONSE USING ELECTROPORATION-ASSISTED VACCINATION AND BOOSTING

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Pub. No.: WO/2008/063555 International Application No.: PCT/US2007/024051 Publication Date: 29.05.2008 International Filing Date: 16.11.2007
IPC:	A61K 39/00 (2006.01)
Applicants:	GENETRONICS, INC. [US/US]; 11494 Sorrento Valley Road, San Diego, CA 92121-1318 (US) (All Except US). MATHIESEN, Iacob [NO/NO]; 11494 Sorrento Valley Road, San Diego, CA 92121-1318 (US) (US Only). TJELLE, Elisabeth, Torunn [NO/NO]; 11494 Sorrento Valley Road, San Diego, CA 92121-1318 (US) (US Only). KJEKEN, Rune [NO/US]; 11494 Sorrento Valley Road, San Diego, CA 92121-1318 (US) (US Only). RABUSSAY, Dietmar [AT/US]; 11494 Sorrento Valley Road, San Diego, CA 92121-1318 (US) (US Only). LIN, Feng [CN/US]; 11494 Sorrento Valley Road, San Diego, CA 92121-1318 (US) (US Only).
Inventors:	MATHIESEN, Iacob; 11494 Sorrento Valley Road, San Diego, CA 92121-1318 (US). TJELLE, Elisabeth, Torunn; 11494 Sorrento Valley Road, San Diego, CA 92121-1318 (US). KJEKEN, Rune; 11494 Sorrento Valley Road, San Diego, CA 92121-1318 (US). RABUSSAY, Dietmar; 11494 Sorrento Valley Road, San Diego, CA 92121-1318 (US). LIN, Feng; 11494 Sorrento Valley Road, San Diego, CA 92121-1318 (US).
Agent:	CHAMBERS, Daniel, M.; Biotechnology Law Group, 527 N. Hwy. 101, Suite E, Solana Beach, CA 92075-1173 (US).
Priority Data:	60/859,724 17.11.2006 US

Title:

METHODS OF ENHANCING IMMUNE RESPONSE USING ELECTROPORATION-ASSISTED VACCINATION AND BOOSTING

Abstract:

Disclosed are methods of enhancing immune responses. Such methods involve the administration of vaccine compositions to different tissues to elicit an enhanced immune response. The enhanced response arises from the vaccination and boosting route of administration in two separate patient tissues, for example, by first administering a priming vaccination into skin and later administering a boost vaccination in muscle. In each case, priming and boosting, the administration of the vaccine composition is preferably carried out using contemporaneous electroporation-assisted delivery of the antigenic agent.

Source

Immune System may Be Triggered by 'Nanohorns'

A cone-shaped variety of carbon nanotubes called nanohorns may be able to trigger an immune response to fight infectious diseases and cancers, a team of French and Italian scientists has claimed.

White blood cells can easily detect and capture the tiny nanotube like structures making it difficult for the researchers trying to use them as vehicles, to deliver drugs inside the body in a targeted way.

These nanotubes also prompt severe immune reactions.

The research team is now using nanohorns to deliberately push immune system into action.

They believe that this uninvited immune response can push the body into fighting a disease or cancer more effectively.

For the study, Alberto Bianco and Helene Dumortier at the CNRS Institute in Strasbourg, France, in collaboration with Maurizio Prato at the University of Trieste, Italy, gave carbon nanohorns to mouse white blood cells in a Petri dish. The macrophage cells' job is to swallow foreign particles.

They found that after 24 hours, most of the macrophages had swallowed some nanohorns and also started to release reactive oxygen compounds and other small molecules that give an indication to other parts of the immune system to become more active.

By filling the interior of nanohorns with particular antigens, like ice cream filling a cone, the team believes that they can adjust the immune response to fight a particular disease or cancer.

"The nanohorns would deliver the antigen to the macrophages while also triggering a cascade of pro-inflammatory effects," New Scientist quoted Dumortier, as saying.

"There is still a long way to go before this interesting approach might become safe and effective," said Ruth Duncan at Cardiff University, UK.

"Safety would ultimately depend on proposed dose the frequency of dose and the route of administration," she added.

"This process should initiate an antigen-specific immune response," she added.

Dumortier said that the results so far suggest that nanohorns are less toxic to cells than normal nanotubes can be.

"No sign of cell death was visible upon three days of macrophage culture in the presence of nanohorns," she added.

Source