AdhTAP therapeutic vaccine for carcinomas & melanomas

TapImmune’s program for a therapeutic vaccine to unspecific tumors represents a conceptual leap in the design of therapeutic cancer vaccines. In preclinical studies, this vaccine has been shown to greatly increase the sensitivity of the immune system to recognize and destroy cancerous cells. This is achieved by resurrecting the expression of MHC class I restricted tumor antigens on the cell surface.

The action of the immune system, specifically the Killer T-cells, to recognize & destroy tumors is dependent on the expression of adequate numbers of MHC I molecules on the surface of the tumor. The action of the TAP vaccine increases MHC I expression by restoring the expression of TAP proteins in cancer thereby increasing the transport of tumor antigens to the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER). Once in the ER, the tumor antigen peptides can form functional MHC I molecules that will be transported and presented on the cancer cell surface to the immune system.

The vaccine re-establishes the presentation of tumor antigens on the MHC class I molecule thus identifying the cancer to the cellular arm of the immune system. The Killer T-cells of the immune system are stimulated to expand in number and destroy the cancerous cells. The expanded immune response is exquisitely sensitive providing a bystander effect that enables tumors untouched by the vaccine to also come under Killer T-cell attack.