Progress reports on immune gene therapy for stage IV renal cell cancer using lethally irradiated granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor-transduced autologous renal cancer cells

• DOI: 10.1007/pl00014054
• Publication Date: 2006-02-17T15:24:46Z
• Authors: Kenzaburo Tani; Yukoh Nakazaki; Hidenori Hase; Keisuke Takahashi; Miyuki Azuma; Junko Ohata; Reiko Kitamura; Fumihiko Komine; Maki Oiwa; Atsuko Masunaga; Taira Maekawa; Noriharu Satoh; Daiki Adachi; Yasushi Soda; Utako Machida; Muneomi Endo; Tomoko Yamazaki; Kiyoshi Watari; Arinobu Tojo; Naohide Yamashita; Shinji Tomikawa; Masazumi Eriguchi; Hirofumi Hamada; Yoshiaki Wakumoto; Kisaburo Hanazawa; Koh Okumura; Makoto Fujime; Taro Shuin; Kouji Kawai; Hideyuki Akaza; Shirley Clift; Dale Ando; Stephan Sherwin; Richard Mulligan; Shigetaka Asano
• Keywords: Adult; Male; 0301 basic medicine; Genetic Vectors; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; Genetic Therapy; Middle Aged; Cancer Vaccines; Kidney Neoplasms; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; Retroviridae; Transduction, Genetic; Humans; Female; Carcinoma, Renal Cell; Aged; Neoplasm Staging

There is no effective treatment for patients with stage IV renal cell cancer (RCC), although the introduction of new therapy is imminent. Cancer gene therapy is currently considered to be one of the most promising therapeutic modalities in the field of cancer treatment. Based on the results of animal studies, vaccination using autologous granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor-transduced renal cancer cells appears promising. Before initiating a clinical study using an ex vivo gene-transduced autologous cell vaccine-based immunogene therapy for RCC in Japan, in 1992 we initially planned a Japanese version of a clinical protocol in collaboration with a US group. In 1993, the original protocol was refined. We performed five preclinical qualification studies using RCC nephrectomy specimens from patients in 1997, and the results showed that preparation of RCC cells for autologous vaccines at the Clinical Cell Technology Facility, Research Hospital of the Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, was feasible. Subsequently in August 1998, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport approved our clinical protocol. We have recruited two patients with stage IV RCC to our study so far. Here we report the background to the initiation of cancer gene therapy in Japan.