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<art>
   <ui>bcr342</ui>
   <ji>BCJ</ji>
   <fm>
      <dochead>Meeting abstract</dochead>
      <bibl>
         <title>
            <p>Immunotoxins: experimental design</p>
         </title>
         <aug>
            <au id="A1">
               <snm>Dall</snm>
               <fnm>P</fnm>
               <insr iid="I1"/>
            </au>
            <au id="A2">
               <snm>Wels</snm>
               <fnm>W</fnm>
               <insr iid="I2"/>
            </au>
         </aug>
         <insg>
            <ins id="I1">
               <p>Department of Obstetrics &amp; Gynecology, D&#252;sseldorf University Medical Center, D&#252;sseldorf</p>
            </ins>
            <ins id="I2">
               <p>Georg-Speyer-Haus (Chemotherapeutical Research Institute), Frankfurt, Germany</p>
            </ins>
         </insg>
         <source>Breast Cancer Res</source>
         <supplement>
            <title>
               <p>23rd Congress of the International Association for Breast Cancer Research</p>
            </title>
            <note>Meeting abstracts</note>
         </supplement>
         <conference>
            <title>
               <p>23rd Congress of the International Association for Breast Cancer Research</p>
            </title>
            <location>D&#252;sseldorf, Germany</location>
            <date-range>13&#8211;16 June 2001</date-range>
         </conference>
         <issn>1465-5411</issn>
         <pubdate>2001</pubdate>
         <volume>3</volume>
         <issue>Suppl 1</issue>
         <fpage>A18</fpage>
         <xrefbib>
            <pubid idtype="doi">10.1186/bcr342</pubid>
         </xrefbib>
      </bibl>
      <history>
         <rec>
            <date>
               <day>10</day>
               <month>5</month>
               <year>2001</year>
            </date>
         </rec>
         <pub>
            <date>
               <day>29</day>
               <month>5</month>
               <year>2001</year>
            </date>
         </pub>
      </history>
      <cpyrt>
         <year>2001</year>
         <collab>BioMed Central Ltd</collab>
      </cpyrt>
   </fm>
   <meta>
      <classifications>
         <classification type="BMC" subtype="old_arx_id">bcr-3-s1-a18</classification>
      </classifications>
   </meta>
   <bdy>
      <sec>
         <st>
            <p/>
         </st>
         <p>One of the major goals of tumor immunotherapy is to overcome immune escape and tumor anergy mechanisms. The identification of (relatively) tumor-specific epitopes is more important for adoptive immunotherapy strategies than their immunogenicity. In the immunocellular approach, D44v-epitope-specific T-cells were cloned introducing a fusion gene encoding the single chain Fv-fragment of CD44v-specific mAb and the zeta-chain of the TCR complex. MHC-independent retargeted cytotoxicity could be shown toward antigen-expressing tumor cells <it>in vitro</it> and <it>in vivo</it>. In a humoral approach, the fusion gene for a Her2neu-specific scFv and a bacterial toxin was expressed in <it>E coli</it>. After purification the fusion toxin showed significant activity in animal experiments using Her2-neu-expressing tumors. Meanwhile, the first six patients suffering from Her2-neu-expressing cancers have been treated topically so far. No significant systemic or local side effects could be detected. Four out of six patients had a local PR/CR. Further clinical studies are warranted and ongoing.</p>
      </sec>
   </bdy>
</art>
