Controlled release of protein drugs from newly developed amphiphilic polymer-based microparticles composed of nanoparticles.

A novel formulation of biodegradable microparticles was developed for the sustained release of peptide and protein drugs. The microparticles were formed by the aggregation of protein nanoparticles through water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion-lyophilization and subsequent solid-in-oil-in-water (S/O/W) emulsion-solvent evaporation. Amphiphilic copolymers were used as an emulsifier in the W/O emulsion and matrix of the microparticles.

Dendritic cells modified to express fractalkine/CX3CL1 in the treatment of preexisting tumors.

Fractalkine (CX3CL1) is a unique membrane-bound CX3C chemokine that serves as a potent chemoattractant for lymphocytes. The hypothesis of this study is that dendritic cells (DC) genetically modified ex vivo to overexpress fractalkine would enhance the T cell-mediated cellular immune response with a consequent induction of anti-tumor immunity to suppress tumor growth. To prove this hypothesis, established tumors of different mouse cancer cells (B16-F10 melanoma, H-2b, and Colon-26 colon adenocarcinoma, H-2d) were treated with intratumoral injection of bone marrow-derived DC that had been modified in vitro with an RGD fiber-mutant adenovirus vector expressing mouse fractalkine (Ad-FKN).

Adenovirus vector-mediated in vivo gene transfer of OX40 ligand to tumor cells enhances antitumor immunity of tumor-bearing hosts.

OX40 ligand (OX40L), the ligand for OX40 on activated CD4+ T cells, has adjuvant properties for establishing effective T-cell immunity, a potent effector arm of the immune system against cancer. The hypothesis of this study is that in vivo genetic engineering of tumor cells to express OX40L will stimulate tumor-specific T cells by the OX40L-OX40 engagement, leading to an induction of systemic antitumor immunity. To investigate this hypothesis, s.