Targeted identification of immunogenic peptides
This invention relates generally to identifying peptide sequences involved in antibody binding to any protein for synthesis of vaccine treatments. This novel method allows for a more manageable vaccine peptide discovery and specific generation of unique immunogenic peptides from self-tumor associated proteins and/or foreign proteins from infectious organisms for specific and/or enhanced expression only in the presence of the antibody.
1. A method of identifying an immunogenic region of a self-protein comprising the steps of:
identifying one or more peptide sequences of a self protein that are directly or indirectly involved with antibody binding, wherein the identifying of the one or more peptide sequences of the self protein comprises: binding an antibody to the self-protein forming a complex; subjecting the complex to proteasome digestion; and obtaining digestion products comprising one or more peptide sequences;
subjecting the one or more peptide sequences to an algorithm that identifies peptide fragments suspected of being immunogenic;
screening all peptide fragments from the one or more peptide sequences for their ability to induce an immune response; and
identifying an immunogenic peptide of the peptide fragment.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the antibody binding comprises polyclonal antibody binding.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the antibody binding comprises monoclonal antibody binding.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising treating a patient with the immunogenic peptide to generate an immune response.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the self-protein is HER2/neu.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the immune response is a cytotoxic T cell response.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein screening all peptide fragments from the one or more peptide sequences for their ability to induce an immune response comprises:
stimulating Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells with the peptide fragments from the one or more peptide sequences; and
determining the peptide fragments with the highest T cell responses; or
contacting the peptide fragments from the one or more peptide sequences with serum from high risk cancer individuals who do not develop cancer; and
selecting the one or more peptide fragments that bind to the antibodies in the serum; and
determining if the one or more peptide fragments selected in the previous step can induce an antibody response.