RETROVIRAL VECTORS TO EXPRESS ALPHA-IFN IN HUMAN TIL

ADOPTIVE IMMUNOTHERAPY HAS PROVIDED AN ADDITIONAL METHOD OF TREATING CANCER. THE USE OF LYMPHOKINE ACTIVATED KILLER (LAK) CELLS AND IN CONJUNCTION WITH INTERLEUKIN-2 HAVE SHOWN REMARKABLE RESULTS IN SOME TERMINAL CANCER PATIENTS. RECENTLY IFN-A HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE A SYNERGISTIC EFFECT IN ANIMAL TIL MODELS. TO FURTHER ENHANCE TIL THERAPY, WE SUGGEST RETROVIRAL MEDIATED GENE TRANSFER OF HUMAN IFN-A2 INTO TIL CELLS. INF-A2 AND IFN-A A/D (BGIII) WILL BE CLONED INTO A RETROVIRAL TRANSDUCED TIL CELLS EXPRESSING IFN WILL BE ASSAYED FOR EFFICACY AND SAFETY. IFN-A2 IS BEING USED FOR FUTURE CLINICAL WORK WHILE IFN-A2 A/D WILL BE USED FOR MURINE MODELS. THE TRANSDUCED TIL CELLS WILL BE EXAMINED FOR IFN PRODUCTION, CHANGES IN GROWTH PROPERTIES,CYTOTOXICITY AGAINST TUMOR AND NON-TUMOR CELL LINES, SURFACE MARKER PHENOTYPE, AND PRODUCTION OF OTHER RELEVANT CYTOKINES.