Survivin-derived peptides and use thereof

1. A composition comprising a combination of two or more MHC Class I-restricted epitope peptides derived from survivin, wherein each of said two or more epitope peptides is selected from SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:58 and SEQ ID NO:5.

2. A composition according to claim 1 comprising SEQ ID NO: 18.

3. A composition according to claim 1 further comprising another human survivin epitope peptide.

4. A composition according to claim 1 , wherein the said epitope peptides are capable of eliciting INF-γ-producing cells in a PBL population of a cancer patient at a frequency of at least 10 per 10 4 PBLs.

5. A composition according to claim 1 , wherein said epitope peptides are capable of eliciting INF-γ-producing cells in a PBL population of a patient having a cancer disease where survivin is expressed.

6. A composition according to claim 5 , wherein the cancer disease is selected from the group consisting of a haematopoietic malignancy, melanoma, breast cancer, cervix cancer, ovary cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, pancreas cancer and prostate cancer.

7. A composition according to claim 1 comprising an adjuvant.

8. A composition according to claim 1 , which is a composition for ex vivo or in situ diagnosis of the presence of survivin reactive T-cells among PBLs or in tumour tissue.

9. An immunogenic composition comprising a combination of two or more MHC Class I-restricted epitope peptides derived from survivin, wherein each of said two or more epitope peptides is selected from SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:58 and SEQ ID NO:5.

10. An immunogenic composition according to claim 9 , which additionally comprises at least one other survivin peptide epitope.

11. An immunogenic composition according to claim 9 , wherein the immunogenic composition is capable of eliciting an immune response against a cancer disease where survivin is expressed.

12. An immunogenic composition according to claim 11 , wherein the cancer disease is selected from the group consisting of a haematopoietic malignancy, melanoma, breast cancer, cervix cancer, ovary cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, pancreas cancer and prostate cancer.

13. An immunogenic composition according to claim 9 , wherein the immunogenic composition elicits the production, in the subject to which it has been administered, of effector T-cells having a cytotoxic effect against the cancer cells.

14. A method of preparing a medicament for the treatment of cancer in combination with a conventional cancer treatment comprising combining the composition of claim 1 with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

15. A composition according to claim 5 , wherein the haematopoietic malignancy includes chronic lymphatic leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia.

16. An immunogenic composition according to claim 12 , wherein the haematopoietic malignancy includes chronic lymphatic leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia.

17. A method according to claim 14 wherein the conventional cancer treatment is radiotherapy or chemotherapy.

18. A composition comprising a combination of SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:58, SEQ ID NO:5, and SEQ ID NO:18.

19. An isolated or recombinant peptide which is identical to a fragment of native human survivin, including at least the region spanning residues 93-101 of native human survivin except for the change of the glutamic acid at position 94 of said native human survivin to a threonine (SEQ ID NO:36).

20. An isolated or recombinant peptide which is identical to a fragment of native human survivin, including at least the region spanning residues 18-27 of native human survivin except for the change of the phenylalanine at position 27 of said native human survivin to a lysine (SEQ ID NO:58).

21. An isolated peptide comprising the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:36, said peptide having a C 50 value, defined as the concentration of the peptide required for half-maximal binding to HLA-A1, which is at the most 20 μM.

22. The isolated peptide of claim 21 , comprising at the most 10 amino acid residues.

23. An isolated peptide comprising the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:58, said peptide having a C 50 value, defined as the concentration of the peptide required for half-maximal binding to HLA-A3, which is at the most 20 μM.

24. The isolated peptide of claim 23 , comprising at the most 11 amino acid residues.

25. The isolated peptide of claim 21 , comprising at the most 20 amino acid residues.

26. The isolated peptide of claim 21 , said peptide having a C 50 value, defined as the concentration of the peptide required for half-maximal binding to HLA-A1, which is at the most 10 μM.

27. The isolated peptide of claim 21 , said peptide having a C 50 value, defined as the concentration of the peptide required for half-maximal binding to HLA-A1, which is at the most 5 μM.

28. The isolated peptide of claim 21 , said peptide having a C 50 value, defined as the concentration of the peptide required for half-maximal binding to HLA-A1, which is at the most 2 μM.

29. The isolated peptide of claim 21 , said peptide consisting of the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:36.

30. The isolated peptide of claim 23 , comprising at the most 20 amino acid residues.

31. The isolated peptide of claim 23 , said peptide having a C 50 value, defined as the concentration of the peptide required for half-maximal binding to HLA-A3, which is at the most 10 μM.

32. The isolated peptide of claim 23 , said peptide having a C 50 value, defined as the concentration of the peptide required for half-maximal binding to HLA-A3, which is at the most 5 μM.

33. The isolated peptide of claim 23 , said peptide having a C 50 value, defined as the concentration of the peptide required for half-maximal binding to HLA-A3, which is at the most 2 μM.

34. The isolated peptide of claim 23 , said peptide consisting of the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:58.

35. A composition comprising a peptide according to claim 21 .

36. The composition according to claim 35 , said composition being immunogenic.

37. A composition comprising a peptide according to claim 23 .

38. The composition according to claim 37 , said composition being immunogenic.