Title:  Heat shock protein 70 preparations in vaccination against cancer and infectious disease

United States Patent:  6,168,793

Assignee:  Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University (New York, NY)

Filed:  June 5, 1995

The present invention relates to compositions comprising a population of non-covalent heat shock protein 70-peptide complexes purified from mammalian tumor tissues or mammalian cells infected with an infectious agent. When administered to a mammal, the compositions are capable of eliciting an immune response. The compositions are also useful for treatment of cancer and infectious diseases in animals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an immunogenic composition comprising complexes of heat shock protein 70 and antigenic peptides derived from tumor cells or cells infected with a virus, bacteria or other agent. This invention also relates to a method of eliciting an immune response in a mammal comprising the steps of isolating heat shock protein 70-peptide complex from tumor cells or cells infected with a virus, bacteria or other agent and administering the heat shock protein 70-peptide complex to the mammal in an amount effective to elicit an immune response. The claimed invention provides a novel method of eliciting antigen-specific cellular immunity against tumors, endogenous antigens, bacterial and viral antigens.

This invention further relates to a method of preparing a heat shock protein 70-peptide complex capable of eliciting an immune response in a mammal comprising the steps of obtaining tumor cells from the mammal or cells which are infected with a virus, bacteria or other infectious agent, preparing an aqueous cell extract, purifying the extract through column chromatography and harvesting a heat shock protein 70-peptide complex in the absence of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

This invention additionally relates to a method of preparing an antigenic peptide composition comprising obtaining cells from a mammal wherein the cells are tumor cells or cells infected with a virus, bacteria or other infectious agent, harvesting a heat shock protein 70-peptide complex from the cells wherein the heat shock protein 70-peptide complex is prepared in the absence of ATP and separating peptides from the heat shock protein 70-peptide complex, wherein the separated peptides are capable of eliciting an immune response in the mammal.

This invention also relates to an immunogenic composition comprising complexes of heat shock protein 70 and antigenic peptides derived from tumor cell lines or cell lines infected with a virus or bacteria. The invention further relates to a method of preparing a heat shock protein 70-peptide complex capable of eliciting an immune response in a mammal comprising preparing an aqueous cell extract from tumor cell lines or cell lines infected with a bacteria or virus, purifying the extract through column chromatography and harvesting a heat shock protein 70-peptide complex in the absence of ATP.

Claim 1 of 52 Claims

I claim:

1. A purified immunogenic composition comprising a population of non-covalent heat shock protein 70-peptide complexes wherein said population comprises a plurality of different non-covalent heat shock protein 70-peptide complexes each of said different complexes containing a different peptide, and wherein said population of complexes is purified from mammalian tumor tissue or mammalian cells infected with an infectious agent.

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