Immunity to squamous carcinoma in mice immunized with dendritic cells transfected with genomic DNA from squamous carcinoma cells.

Immunotherapy of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) at an early stage of the disease increases the likelihood of success. We report a new vaccination strategy designed to prepare SCC vaccines from microgram amounts of tumor tissue, enabling the treatment of patients with minimal residual disease. The vaccine was prepared by transfer of sheared genomic DNA-fragments (25 kb) from KLN205 cells, an SCC cell line of DBA/2 mouse origin, into syngeneic bone marrow-derived mature dendritic cells (DCs). More than 90% of the transfected DCs took up DNA from the neoplasm and transferred genes were expressed as protein. The DCs expressed CD11c, CD11b, and the costimulatory molecules CD40, CD80 and CD86, characteristic of mature DCs. Syngeneic DBA/2J mice, highly susceptible to the growth of KLN205 cells, were injected intravenously (i.v.) with the transfected DCs, followed by a subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of the tumor cells. The strong immunogenic properties of the transfected cells were indicated by the finding that the survival of the tumor-bearing mice was prolonged (P<.001), relative to that of mice in various control groups. Enzyme-linked immuno spot (ELISPOT IFN-gamma) assays revealed the activation of cell-mediated immunity directed toward the SCC in mice immunized with the transfected DCs. Two independent in vitro cytotoxicity assays indicated the presence of robust cell-mediated immunity directed toward the SCC in mice immunized with the transfected cells.