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Abstract: Fetal calf serum (FCS)-independent pancreatic cancer cells were established in plasma protein fraction (PPF)-supplemented medium that is an agent of good manufacturing practice (GMP) grade. Dendritic cells (DCs) were activated with the Toll-like receptor agonist, penicillin-inactivated Streptococcus pyogenes (OK-432) that is also a GMP grade agent. Therefore, sufficient amounts of FCS-independent fusions were successfully generated with decreased potential hazards of FCS. The FCS-independent fusions expressed tumor-associated antigens, HLA-DR, costimulatory molecules, IL-12, and IL-10. Stimulation of T cells with fusions from healthy donors resulted in proliferation of T cells with high expression levels of perforin/granzyme B and IFN-γ and efficient induction of antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). Selection and expansion of T-cell clones were confirmed by TCR Vβ analysis. However, fusions from patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer induced increased expression levels of TGF-β1 in CD4+ CD25high T cells and low levels of CTLs with decreased IFN-γ production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We designed a phase 1 study using dendritic cells (DCs) pulsed with a mixture of three types of Wilms’ tumor 1 (WT1) peptides, including MHC class I/II restricted epitopes (DC/WT1-I/II). Our recent work reveals that the combination of DC/WT1-I/II and chemotherapy induced long-term WT1-specific CD4+and CD8+T cell responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]