Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a leading killer of men and women around the world. Most patients present in the clinic with advanced stage disease at a point where surgery is not an option and conventional chemotherapy and radiation therapy are limited in their effectiveness. Novel therapies are needed for this patient population. Continued failure to significantly impact NSCLC patients with conventional therapy will tax the health care system and remain a financial burden for families and society. Interestingly, while NSCLC is responsive to chemotherapeutic agents such as cisplatin, tumor is often observed to recur or progress in additional anatomic sites. It is known that NSCLC, as well as other solid tumors, develop mechanisms of drug resistance. Thus, continued exposure to cisplatin remains ineffective. In the current study, we propose to investigate whether Immunotherapy, which exploits the patient's immune system to recognize and eliminate cancer, should be considered to address the issue of chemo-resistance. We are asking the question that following cisplatin therapy in NSCLC patients, what role can immunotherapy play in preventing the growth of chemo-resistant tumor cell clones which likely result in tumor recurrence and progression? Our hypothesis is that proteins which characterize cisplatin chemo-resistance can be targeted by vaccine therapy. To address this hypothesis we will build on the expertise of our group in developing and delivering vaccines in lung cancer. The current proposal is a proof of principle study which will investigate the existence of novel shared tumor associated antigens which are immunogenic and define the chemo-resistant phenotype. A unique methodology is proposed to identify HLA-A2 restricted cisplatin resistant CTL in normal donors based on specific antigen stimulation and TCR-Vbeta analysis. Understanding preferential usage of Vbetas in normal donors will be applied to the analysis of archived PBMC derived from -A2+ patients with NSCLC. Using this methodology, we will determine if the precursor frequency for CTL specific for peptides characteristic of the cisplatin resistant state will be higher in patients previously exposed to cisplatin. If true, in a future clinical study, we hypothesize that NSCLC patients can be immunized against these peptides before cisplatin therapy. Following an appropriate period of rest, NSCLC patients given boost vaccine injections with the peptides derived from the chemo-resistant proteins are expected to generate a potent immune response allowing the recognition and destruction of chemo-resistant tumor cells; thus preventing recurrence and progression. All required reagents for this proof of principle analysis are available to the applicant.
Prognosis of advanced stage NSCLC is grim. While some oncologists advocate therapeutic nihilism for advanced NSCLC based on excessive drug toxicity and universally poor outcomes, chemotherapy can reduce symptoms, improve quality of life and result in small improvement in survival when compared to best supportive care. This application describes Proof of Principle studies for the improvement of an already proven cellular vaccine for NSCLC.
