Lecture 13 - Immunotherapy Flashcards
Define immunotherapy
biological treatment of disease by activating or suppressing the immune system
Active Immunotherapy
generated by the body in response to stimuli
Passive Immunotherapy
donated or laboratory made immune system components administered to body
How do we know that the immune system fights some forms of cancer?
- tumor-specific CD8+ T cells found in tumors
- Mononuclear infiltrates into masses
- Increased incidence in immunosuppressed patients
- cancer remissions following immunomodulator tx
Why are canine cutaneous histiocytoma considered a surgical emergency
they quickly regress due to CD4+/CD8+ T cell infiltration
Tumor-associated antigen (TAA)
normal proteins overexpressed by tumor cells
Tumor-specific antigen (TSA)
expressed by tumor cells but not present in normal host cells
Why is active immunotherapy against TAA tricky
the proteins are expressed on both normal and cancer cells so tx can be prevented by tolerance of self-reactive B and T cells
how would passive immunotherapy target TAAs
antibodies that target the antigens via injection
CD20
high expression on B cell lymphomas
normally expressed on B cells
not expressed on antibody-producing cells
How does Rituximab (anti-CD20) work
binds to CD20 and kills expressing cells
what is a downside to the use of Rituximab (anti-CD20)
depletion of memory B cells
What are two considerations when translating the use of monoclonal cancer antibody tx to vet med
- mAbs need to bind tightly to antigen
- Fc portion needs to be functional
What are TSAs presented by
MHC on tumor cells
What do TSAs arise from
genetic mutations or viral infections