Development of an autologous canine cancer vaccine system for resectable malignant tumors in dogs

• Published in: Veterinary immunology and immunopathology 2016-12, Vol.182, p.95-100
• Main Authors: Yannelli, J.R., Wouda, R., Masterson, T.J., Avdiushko, M.G., Cohen, D.A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adjuvants, Immunologic - administration & dosage; Animals; Antibodies, Neoplasm - blood; Antigens, Neoplasm - immunology; Autoantigens - immunology; Autologous; Cancer; Cancer Vaccines - administration & dosage; Cancer Vaccines - immunology; Cancer Vaccines - therapeutic use; Canine; Dog Diseases - immunology; Dog Diseases - surgery; Dog Diseases - therapy; Dogs; Female; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Immunotherapy - methods; Immunotherapy - veterinary; Injections, Intradermal; Male; Neoplasms - immunology; Neoplasms - therapy; Neoplasms - veterinary; Oligodeoxyribonucleotides - administration & dosage; Vaccine
• ISSN: 0165-2427; 1873-2534
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2016.10.011

•A procedure for an effective autologous canine cancer vaccine has been developed.•The autologous canine cancer vaccine can be prepared for any resectable tumor.•The autologous canine cancer vaccine elicits strong anti-tumor humoral immunity.•The autologous canine cancer vaccine has extended lives of dogs with cancer. While conventional therapies exist for canine cancer, immunotherapies need to be further explored and applied to the canine setting. We have developed an autologous cancer vaccine (K9-ACV), which is available for all dogs with resectable disease. K9-ACV was evaluated for safety and immunogenicity for a variety of cancer types in a cohort of companion dogs under veterinary care. The autologous vaccine was prepared by enzymatic digestion of solid tumor biopsies. The resultant single cell suspensions were then UV-irradiated resulting in immunogenic cell death of the tumor cells. Following sterility and endotoxin testing, the tumor cells were admixed with CpG ODN adjuvant and shipped to the participating veterinary clinics. The treating veterinarians then vaccinated each patient with three intradermal injections (10 million cells per dose) at 30-day intervals (one prime and two boost injections). In a cohort of 20 dogs completing the study, 17 dogs (85%) developed an augmented IgG response to autologous tumor antigens as demonstrated using western blot analysis of pre- and post-peripheral blood samples. We also report several dogs have lived beyond expected survival time based on previously published data. In summary, K9-ACV is an additional option to be considered for the treatment of dogs with resectable cancer.