Pneumologie 2006; 60 - V184
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-934032

Hybrid-primed lymphocytes and hybrid vaccination prevent tumor growth of lewis lung carcinoma in mice

S Rajkumar 1, R Schermuly 2, M Schneider 1, S Pullamsetti 2, F Grimminger 2, W Seeger 2, G Banat 1
  • 1Department of Hematology & Oncology, Justus-Liebig-University, Gießen, Germany
  • 2Department of Internal Medicine 2, Justus-Liebig-University, Gießen, Germany

Dendritic cell (DC)-tumor cell hybrids are currently being evaluated as a novel anti-tumor vaccination strategy. We here explored in an animal model whether administration of DCs fused with poorly immunogenic carcinoma cells could elicit an anti-tumor response. Fusion of C57BL/6 mice bone marrow derived DCs with Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC1) cells resulted in around 50% fusion efficiency. Hybrid cells (HC) were used to explore three potential tumor-therapy strategies: protective immunization, vaccination and adoptive cellular therapy. Immunization with HCs induced activation of proliferating and cytotoxic T cells and significantly retarded tumor growth, also confirmed by upregulated expression of distinct cytokines genes. The same observations accented by vaccination with HCs in the tumor bearing host. Finally, when T cells from HCs vaccinated mice were transferred into naive tumor-bearing mice, tumor growth was most strongly retarded and an efficient proliferative and cytotoxic T cell response was observed. Tumor growth was reduced by over 50%, and tumor development was significantly delayed. Taken together, we demonstrate that HCs offer for an effective immunotherapy of poorly immunogenic carcinomas. This is independent of whether the HCs are taken for adoptive transfer or as a vaccine.