University of Pennsylvania

University of South Florida

The Wistar Institute

Kenneth E Ugen

David B Weiner

Richard M Heller

Bin Wang

William Valentine Williams

Chuanhai Cao

Susan B Nyland

Steven Specter

A method of treating cancerous tumors is presented herein. The method includes injecting an effective dose of a plasmid encoded for IL-12, B7-1 or IL-15 into a cancerous tumor and subsequently administering at least one high voltage, short duration pulse to the tumor. The electroporation pulses may be administered at al least 700 V/cm for a duration of less than 1 millisecond. The intratumor treatments with electroporation may be administered in at least a two-treatment protocol with the time between treatments being about 7 days. The intratumor treatments with electroporation may be administered in a three-treatment protocol with a time of four days between the first and second treatments and a time of three days between the second and third treatments. It was found that the intratumor treatments using electroporation not only resulted in tumor regression but also induced an immune memory response which prevented the formation of new tumors.

Method for the treatment of malignancies

A method of treating cancerous tumors is presented herein. The method includes injecting an effective dose of a plasmid encoded for IL-12, B7-1 or IL-15 into a cancerous tumor and subsequently administering at least one high voltage, short duration pulse to the tumor. The electroporation pulses may be administered at at least 700V/cm for a duration of less than 1 millisecond. The intratumor treatments with electroporation may be administered in at least a two-treatment protocol with the time between treatments being about 7 days. The intratumor treatments with electroporation may be administered in a three-treatment protocol with a time of four days between the first and second treatments and a time of three days between the second and third treatments. It was found that the intratumor treatments using electroporation not only resulted in tumor regression but also induced an immune memory response which prevented the formation of new tumors.

Methods of inducing mucosal immunity in individuals against proteins and peptides are disclosed. The methods comprise the step of administering topically or by lavage into mucosal tissue selected from the group consisting of rectal, vaginal, urethral, sublingual and buccal, a nucleic acid molecule that comprises a nucleotide sequence that encodes a protein or peptide that comprises an epitope against which mucosal immunity is desired. The methods may be used to immunize and individual against a pathogen infection, hyperproliferative diseases or autoimmune diseases using nucleic acid molecules which encode proteins and peptides that share an epitope with a pathogen antigen or protein associated with cells involved in hyperproliferative diseases or autoimmune diseases, respectively.

Methods of inducing mucosal immunity

A method of treating HIV infection by using the novel anti-HIV activity of the opioid antagonist naloxone.

Anti-HIV activity of the opioid antagonist naloxone

Methods of inducing mucosal immunity in individuals against proteins and peptides are disclosed. The methods comprise the step of administering topically or by lavage into mucosal tissue selected from the group consisting of rectal, vaginal, urethral, sublingual and buccal, a nucleic acid molecule that comprises a nucleotide sequence that encodes a protein or peptide that comprises an epitope against which mucosal immunity is desired. The methods may be used to immunize and individual against a pathogen infection, hyperproliferative diseases or autoimmune diseases using nucleic acid molecules which encode proteins and peptides that share an epitope with a pathogen antigen or protein associated with cells involved in hyperproliferative diseases or autoimmune diseases, respectively,

Methods of inducing mucosal immunity in individuals against proteins and peptides are disclosed. The methods comprise the step of administering topically or by lavage into mucosal tissue selected from the group consisting of rectal, vaginal, urethral, sublingual and buccal, a nucleic acid molecule that comprises a nucleotide sequence that encodes a protein or peptide that comprises an epitope against which mucosal immunity is desired. The methods may be used to immunize an individual against a pathogen infection, hyperproliferative diseases or autoimmune diseases using nucleic acid molecules which encode proteins and peptides that share an epitope with a pathogen antigen or protein associated with cells involved in hyperproliferative diseases or autoimmune diseases, respectively.

The present invention provides a panel of HIV peptides useful in diagnosing whether or not a patient is of vertical HIV transmission status, methods for diagnosing same, methods for identifying epitopes and peptides associated with non-transmission status, and pharmaceutical and vaccine compositions containing same.

Growing community of inventors

Tampa, FL, United States of America

Kenneth E Ugen