Anti-EGFR activation, anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of polyclonal antibodies induced by EGFR-based cancer vaccine

Up to now clinical experiences focusing EGF receptor, an attractive target for cancer therapy, have been limited to passive therapies, suggesting that therapeutic cancer vaccines inducing anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibodies could also Work. Here, the humoral immune response induced in mice With a Vaccine formulation containing the human EGFR-extracellular domain and very small-sized proteoliposomes (VSSP), a novel nanoparticulated adjuvant was assessed. in vaccinated mice sera average of the specific polyclonal antibodies (PAb) titers was 10 (5). Anti-EGFR PAb were able to bind EGFR+ tumor cell lines, expressing different levels of the molecule. Noteworthy, the presence of Cetuximab only partially inhibited the vaccine-induced antibodies binding to H125 cells. Anti-EGFR PAb abrogated ligands-dependent EGFR phosphorylation, provoking tumor cells apoptosis. The described EGFR-based vaccine might be a superior therapeutic approach for patients with EGFR+ tumors. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.