title: Anti-idiotypic monoclonal antibody cancer vaccines.
abstract: Anti-idiotypic monoclonal antibodies (MAb) can mimic both protein and non-protein antigenic epitopes. In animal models, and now in patients, it is possible to induce immune responses against tumor antigens using anti-idiotypic MAb vaccines. While it is not clear how the efficacy of anti-idiotypic MAb vaccines compares with the efficacy of vaccines constructed from antigen, there are two situations where anti-idiotypic vaccines have potential advantages: (1) when the antigen is not readily available in sufficient quantities or purity, and (2) when the antigen is a non-protein. Clinical trials are underway using anti-idiotypic MAb vaccines in both of these situations.
authors.affiliation: Melanoma Section, Clinical Immunology Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York 10021, USA.
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Chapman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D016233:Immunotherapy, Active; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000628:therapy; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic