qs-21 and Neoplasms

One of the most widely used and potent immunological adjuvants is a mixture of soluble triterpene glycosides purified from the soap bark tree (Quillaja saponaria). Despite challenges in production, quality control, stability and toxicity, the QS-21 fraction from this extract has exhibited exceptional adjuvant properties for a range of antigens. It possesses an ability to augment clinically significant antibody and T-cell responses to vaccine antigens against a variety of infectious diseases, degenerative disorders and cancers. The recent synthesis of active molecules of QS-21 has provided a robust method to produce this leading vaccine adjuvant in high purity as well as to produce novel synthetic QS-21 congeners designed to induce increased immune responsiveness and decreased toxicity.

Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Cancer Vaccines; Humans; Neoplasms; Quillaja; Saponins

The recent FDA approval of sipuleucel-T (Provenge), a patient-specific immunotherapy for androgen-independent prostate cancer developed by Dendreon Corporation, has provided support for the concept of cellular immunotherapy as an approach to cancer treatment. Adjuvants are compounds that enhance the potency of the antigen-specific immune response and can be an essential component of an efficacious vaccine. Cervarix is a prophylactic vaccine against human papilloma virus (HPV) types 16 and 18, which can cause cervical cancer, and recently received approval from the FDA, due in part to the protective immunity it conferred against not only HPV types contained in the vaccine but in addition to oncogenic HPV strains that were not contained in the vaccine. Cervarix is formulated with MPL (monophosphoryl lipid A), a TLR-4 targeted adjuvant shown to promote immune response broadening. The recent FDA approvals of these pioneering vaccines are landmark events, and will likely usher in renewed interest and investment in the development of new therapeutic cancer vaccine candidates. In this review, we examine new molecularly defined adjuvants and formulations and its application to cancer vaccines under development.

Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Cancer Vaccines; Clinical Trials as Topic; Female; Humans; Immunity, Innate; Immunotherapy; Male; Neoplasms; Saponins

Topics: Biomarkers, Tumor; Cancer Vaccines; Clinical Trials as Topic; Dendritic Cells; Drug Industry; ErbB Receptors; Heat-Shock Proteins; Humans; Immunotherapy; Membrane Glycoproteins; Models, Biological; Neoplasms; Saponins

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; BCG Vaccine; Breast Neoplasms; Clinical Trials, Phase I as Topic; Genetic Vectors; Hemocyanins; Humans; Molecular Sequence Data; Mucin-1; Neoplasms; Saponins; Vaccines, Synthetic; Vaccinia