Integrative Research Centers
Cancer Vaccine Center
Jerome Ritz, MD, Ellis Reinherz, MD, and Glenn Dranoff, MD The mission of the Cancer Vaccine Center is to develop
therapeutic vaccines that will enable a person's immune system to
destroy cancers. The Center pioneers technologies, integrates
immunologic research with translational science, and tests vaccine
candidates in clinical trials to create effective cancer vaccines.
To accelerate the pace of scientific and clinical progress and to
facilitate collaboration, the Center also provides expertise,
consultation, and service in areas critical to the development of
successful cancer vaccines. Key Center technologies include
bioinformatics, nanotechnologies, mass spectrometry, structural
biology, immune assessment, immunoproteomics, and immunogenomics.
The Center maintains an integrated program of scientific discovery,
preclinical vaccine development, and clinical investigation.
Scientific discovery efforts include:
- Selecting cancer vaccine targets for individual cancers
- Analyzing the immunogenicity of T-cell and B-cell peptide
epitopes and performing cytokine immune assessments to identify
epitopes and cytokines that enhance immune responses
- Examining methods for sustaining tumor immunity.
Preclinical vaccine development and clinical investigation
efforts include:
- Using antigen- and cell-based efforts in allogeneic and
autologous vaccine strategies for durable, broadly effective,
anti-tumor responses
- Assessing the impact of adoptively transferring immune effector
cells
- Exploring the use of antibodies directed at surface components
of tumors and as blockers of negative immunoregulatory mechanisms
that impede immunotherapy
- Evaluating the application of nanoscale devices for the
development of nanotechnology-based vaccines, including directed
delivery of immune stimulants and antigens.