Stimulating Immune Cells to Kill Cancer Cells

A preclinical study has shown that a gene-based drug can stimulate human immune cells to selectively kill cancer cells over-expressing the p53 gene. The p53 gene is overexpressed in around 50% of all human cancers. The study was published in the January 2001 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.

The study indicated that dendritic cells treated with the drug, INGN 201, were able to induce a specific antitumor immune response mediated by cytotoxic T lymphocytes in eight our of nine patients. These killer T cells recognized and killed tumor cells that overexpressed either mutant or normal 53 but not cells expressing normal levels or p53. The drug is now in phase III trials to treat patients with head and neck cancer by direct tumor injection, regardless of whether the patients overexpress p53. INGN 201 was developed by Introgen Therapeutics, Inc. (Austin, TX, USA).

"We have shown for the first time that the human immune system is poised to recognize full-length p53 as a tumor antigen,” said Dmitry Gabrilovich, M.D., associate professor of oncology and principal investigator of the study.



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