| Abstrakt: |
Carbohydrates have established themselves as the most clinically relevant antigensof those tested and subsequently developed for vaccines againstinfectious diseases. However, in cancer patients, many of the defined carbohydrateantigens are really altered ‘self’ antigens andfor unclear reasons, the body does not react to them immunologically.Although these self antigens have been found to be potentially suitabletargets for immune recognition and killing, the development of vaccinesfor cancer treatment is actually more challenging compared withthose for infectious diseases mainly because of the difficulty associatedwith breaking the body's immunological toleranceto the antigen. These antigens lack the inherent immunogenicityassociated with bacterial antigens and, therefore, methods to enhanceimmunological recognition and induction of immunity in vivo areunder investigation. These include defining the appropriate tumour-associatedantigen, successfully synthesizing the antigen to mimic the originalmolecule, inducing an immune response, and subsequently enhancingthe immunological reactivity so that all components canwork together. This has been successfully accomplished with several glycolipidand glycoprotein antigens using carriers such as keyhole limpethaemocyanin (KLH) together with a saponin adjuvant, QS-21. Not onlycan high titre IgM and IgG antibodies be induced, which are specificfor the antigen used for immunization, but the antibodies can mediatecomplement lysis. The approaches for synthesis, conjugation, clinicaladministration and immunological potential are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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