Nanoparticle peptide-based therapy for melanoma

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Melanoma is currently the most deadly form of skin cancer. Current treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The five year survival rate for patients with metastatic melanoma is less than 10%. The obje ctive of the proposal is to develop a safe and cost effective nanoparticle based melanoma therapy. The efficacy of this product is based on efficient targeting and stimulation of the immune system in order to eradicate the cancer. We have developed a novel cationic lipid based nanoparticulate therapy that effectively encapsulates peptides and targets the immune system. Its ability to generate cancer-specific immune responses while stimulating the production of key cytokines and chemokines has been demonstra ted. The goals of the project are to: 1. Demonstrate the ability of the formulation to activate dendritic cells, efficiently deliver the peptide, and stimulate T cell production and cytolytic T lymphocyte activity specific to the melanoma in an in vitro ce ll based system. 2. Establish the efficacy of the melanoma therapy in an in vivo mouse B16F10 mouse model. 3. Characterize the formulation, understand its role in eliciting the immune response, and optimize the formulation in order to maximize stability an d therapeutic efficacy. These studies will identify a formulation for use in future toxicology, biodistribution, and human studies.