Enhanced HPV16 E6/E7+ tumor eradication via induction of tumor-specific T cells by therapeutic vaccination with virosomes presenting synthetic long peptides

Therapeutic cancer vaccines trigger CD4 + and CD8 + T cell responses capable of established tumor eradication. Current platforms include DNA, mRNA and synthetic long peptide (SLP) vaccines, all aiming at robust T cell responses. SLPs linked to the Amplivant (R) adjuvant (Amplivant-SLP) have shown effective delivery to dendritic cells, resulting in improved immunogenicity in mice. We have now tested virosomes as a delivery vehicle for SLPs. Virosomes are nanoparticles made from influenza virus membranes and have been used as vaccines for a variety of antigens. Amplivant-SLP virosomes induced the expansion of more antigen-specific CD8 + T memory cells in ex vivo experiments with human PBMCs than Amplivant-SLP conjugates alone. The immune response could be further improved by including the adjuvants QS-21 and 3D-PHAD in the virosomal membrane. In these experiments, the SLPs were anchored in the membrane through the hydrophobic Amplivant adjuvant. In a therapeutic mouse model of HPV16 E6/E7(+) cancer, mice were vaccinated with virosomes loaded with either Amplivant-conjugated SLPs or lipid-coupled SLPs. Vaccination with both types of virosomes significantly improved the control of tumor outgrowth, leading to elimination of the tumors in about half the animals for the best combinations of adjuvants and to their survival beyond 100 days.