Immuno-gene therapy for cancer

A variety of molecules involved in the immune system have recently been isolated. These molecules have allowed the design of immunological interventions of immune responses to human cancer, or so called immuno-gene therapy. Clinical trials have been performed in Europe and the U.S. using various protocols, including gene-modified T cells; highly immunogenic cancer cells transfected with genes encoding cytokines, co-stimulatory molecules, and foreign antigens; immunization with tumor antigen genes as forms of plasmids and recombinant viruses; and immunization with dendritic cells transduced with tumor antigen genes. However, the anti-tumor effects observed in these reports have been limited. Improvement of various points will be necessary to establish immuno-gene therapy for cancer on the basis of fundamental research on immunoregulation against cancer, including isolation of tumor antigens and analysis of tumor escape mechanisms.