Development of cancer vaccines using autologous and recombinant high molecular weight stress proteins

High molecular weight heat shock proteins (HSPs), hsp110 and grp170, derived from cancer cells have been previously shown to elicit tumor-specific immunity. This phenomenon is attributed to the antigenic peptides associated with the HSPs. Based on the unique chaperoning properties of these HSPs, a new vaccination strategy has been recently developed to elicit antigen-specific antitumor immunity. This approach utilizes tumor-associated antigens naturally complexed to these highly efficient molecular chaperones under heat shock conditions. This chapter focuses on the methodologies of these two vaccine strategies: I. purification of hsp110 and grp170 from tumor tissue or cell lines; II. generation and characterization of in vitro HSP-antigen complexes by heat shock using recombinant HSPs derived from a baculovirus protein expression system.