Identification of human cancer antigens by SEREX

SEREX (serological identification of tumor antigens by recombinant cDNA expression cloning) is a powerful cDNA expression cloning technique for isolation of tumor antigens recognized by T cells using serum antibodies from cancer patients from whom it is difficult to raise tumor-reactive T cells. To efficiently identify tumor antigens, various modifications have been attempted for SEREX because of frequent isolation of antigens not associated with immune responses to tumor cells. These include use of a cDNA library made from testis, use of sera from patients who are immunized with autologous tumor-derived products who demonstrate tumor regression after treatment, and use of human IgG containing mice sera from immunodeficient mice implanted with human tumor tissues.