Advances in conventional therapies are increasingly successful in imaging and sterilizing a brain tumor mass. New approaches are needed to attack the disseminated or infiltrating tumor that remains. This has led to renewed interest in immunotherapy as an adjunctive mode of treatment. Hypothesis: 1. In the tumor-bearing brain, intracerebral injection of IFN-g can activate antigen-presenting cells and recruit primed helper T cells. 2. If the T cells have been primed to tumor antigen, the resulting immune cascade can lead to the destruction of disseminated brain tumor cells.
Specific aims to test the hypothesis: I. When rats have been immunized to neural or tumor antigen, will intracerebral injection of IFN-g cause helper T cells to migrate through the brain? II. Can IFN-g treatment and immunization act synergistically to control the spread of tumor cells within the brain? A. Does IFN-g treatment alone reduce tumor spread? B. Do [IFN-g treatment + immunization] work synergistically to reduce tumor spread? C. Can [IFN-g treatment + immunization] cure residual disease remaining after surgery or radiation therapy? Methods: These studies will be performed in a rat model, in vivo. Stereotactic surgery, histochemistry and immunohistochemistry will be used.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Exploratory Grants (P20)
Project #
1P20NS031110-01
Application #
3847182
Study Section
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
Budget End
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1992
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Department
Type
DUNS #
071723621
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02115
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