Compositions and methods for treatment of neoplastic disease

1. A method of treating neoplastic disease comprising administering to a subject requiring such treatment an effective amount of muramyl dipeptide cross-linked into a microparticle (MDP-microparticle).

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the MDP-microparticle is combined with at least one immunostimulatory ligand, bound to or within the microparticle, which is capable of stimulating immune cell subsets effective in inhibiting tumour cell growth and/or proliferation, or effective in tumour cell damage and/or destruction.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the immunostimulatory ligand is selected from one or more molecular pattern recognition receptor families or is an immunostimulatory glycolipid antigen.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the molecular pattern recognition receptor ligand is selected from one or more of TLR1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, NOD-1 and NOD-2 and the glycolipid antigen is α-GalCer or an analogue thereof.

5. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the immunostimulatory ligand is cross-linked on the surface or within the MDP-microparticle.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the MDP-microparticle has an overlapping immunostimulatory effect with that induced by interleukin-2 (IL-2).

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the MDP-microparticle stimulates the production of anti-neoplastic cytokines selected from interferon-alpha (IFNα), interferon-gamma (IFNγ), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin 12 (IL-12) and TNFα.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the neoplastic disease is selected from carcinoma, sarcoma, myeloma, leukaemia, lymphoma or a mixed-type.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, the neoplastic disease is selected from fibrosarcoma, myxosarcoma, liposarcoma, chondrosarcoma, osteosarcoma, chordoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, hemangiosarcoma, angiosarcoma, lymphangiosarcoma, mesothelioma, acute myelogenous leukaemia, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, chronic myelogenous leukaemia, chronic lymphoblastic leukaemia, plasmacytoma, multiple myeloma, Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, squamous cell carcinoma, epidermoid carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, hypernephroma, cholangiocarcinoma, transitional cell carcinoma, choriocarcinoma, seminoma, embryonal cell carcinoma, glioma, anaplastic glioblastoma multiforme, neuroblastoma, medulloblastoma, malignant meningioma, malignant meningioma, malignant schwannoma, neurofibrosarcoma, parathyroid carcinoma, medullary carcinoma of thyroid, bronchial carcinoid, oat cell carcinoma, malignant pheochromocytoma, islet cell carcinoma, malignant carcinoid, malignant paraganglioma, melanoma, malignant schwannoma, merkel cell neoplasm, cystosarcoma phylloides, Wilms' tumour, dysgerminoma, retinoblastoma and teratocarcinoma.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising administering one or more other anti-neoplastic agents for the treatment of neoplastic disease.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the other anti-neoplastic agent is selected from an alkylating agent; an antimetabolite; an alkaloid; a type I or type II topoisomerase inhibitors; an antibiotic; a hormone; and a cytokine.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the subject has metastases.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the MDP-microparticle stimulates release of cytokines, chemokines and cytotoxic proteins in the subject.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the cytokines, chemokines and cytotoxic proteins are selected from IL-2, IFNγ, IFNα, GM-CSF, TNFα, TRAIL and FasL.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the MDP-microparticle stimulates secretion of IFNα from peripheral blood plasmocytoid dendritic cells (pDCs).

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the MDP-microparticle stimulates secretion of TNFα from monocytes.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the MDP-microparticle is administered in combination with one or more tumour-associated antigens, bound to or within the MDP-microparticle, capable of stimulating a tumour specific immune response.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the tumour-associated antigen is selected from autologous tumour cells, CEA, CA19-9, CA125, EP-CAM, her-2/neu, melanoma antigen and GM2.

19. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the alkylating agent is selected from the group consisting of cisplatin, carboplatin, busulfan, chlorambucil and carmustine.

20. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the antimetabolite is selected from the group consisting of azathioprine and mercaptopurine.

21. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the alkaloid is selected from the group consisting of vincristine, vinblastine, vinorelbine, vindesine, podophyllotoxin and taxol.

22. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the antibiotic is selected from the group consisting of dactinomycin, bleomycin and doxorubicin.

23. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the cytokine is selected from the group consisting of IL-2, IFNγ, GM-CSF, TNFα or IFN-α.