Vaccination with heat shock protein-peptide complexes: from basic science to clinical applications

• Published in: Expert review of vaccines Vol. 2; no. 3; p. 369
• Main Authors: Hoos, Axel, Levey, Daniel L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01-06-2003
• Subjects: Animals; Autoantigens - immunology; Cancer Vaccines - therapeutic use; Carcinoma, Renal Cell - immunology; Carcinoma, Renal Cell - therapy; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Clinical Trials as Topic; Digestive System Neoplasms - immunology; Digestive System Neoplasms - therapy; Heat-Shock Proteins - chemistry; Heat-Shock Proteins - immunology; Hematologic Neoplasms - immunology; Hematologic Neoplasms - therapy; Humans; Immunity, Innate; Immunotherapy, Active; Kidney Neoplasms - immunology; Kidney Neoplasms - therapy; Mice; Molecular Chaperones - immunology; Neoplasms - immunology; Neoplasms - therapy; Organ Specificity; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - immunology; Vaccination; Vaccines, Subunit - therapeutic use
• ISSN: 1476-0584
• DOI: 10.1586/14760584.2.3.369

There are currently over 150 medical centers worldwide enrolling patients in randomized, controlled Phase III clinical trials testing autologous cancer-derived heat-shock protein (HSP)-peptide complexes for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma and melanoma. In addition, autologous HSP-peptide complexes have been or are being tested in Phase I and II trials of chronic myelogenous leukemia, lymphoma and pancreatic, gastric and colorectal cancers. The door has more recently opened to clinical testing of off-the-shelf HSP-based treatments for infectious diseases. This review recounts the long history of basic research on HSPs in immune response. A keen understanding of how these ancient molecules orchestrate the immune response to cancer and infections has been gained, providing a clear rationale for translating this knowledge into clinical medicine.