Therapeutic LMP1 polyepitope vaccine for EBV-associated Hodgkin disease and nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Abstract

Development of an epitope-based vaccination strategy designed to enhance Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) is increasingly being considered as a preferred approach for the treatment of EBV-associated relapsed Hodgkin disease (HD) and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). EBV-encoded latent membrane proteins, LMP1 and LMP2, are the only target antigens available for therapeutic augmentation of CTL responses in patients with HD and NPC. Here, we describe preclinical studies using a recombinant poxvirus vaccine that encodes a polyepitope protein comprising 6 HLA A2-restricted epitopes derived from LMPI. Human cells infected with this recombinant polyepitope constru..