Peptides and combination of peptides for use in immunotherapy and methods for generating scaffolds for the use against pancreatic cancer and other cancers

Abstract

The present invention relates to peptides, proteins, nucleic acids and cells for use in immunotherapeutic methods. In particular, the present invention relates to the immunotherapy of cancer. The present invention furthermore relates to tumor-associated T-cell peptide epitopes, alone or in combination with other tumor-associated peptides that can for example serve as active pharmaceutical ingredients of vaccine compositions that stimulate anti-tumor immune responses, or to stimulate T cells ex vivo and transfer into patients. Peptides bound to molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), or peptides as such, can also be targets of antibodies, soluble T-cell receptors, and other binding molecules.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An in vitro method for producing activated antigen-specific CD8+cytotoxic T lymphocytes, comprising contacting in vitro T cells with antigen loaded human HLA-A*02 expressed on the surface of a suitable antigen-presenting cell or an artificial construct mimicking an antigen-presenting cell for a period of time sufficient to activate said T cells in an antigen specific manner, wherein said antigen is a peptide consisting of the amino acid sequence of YIYKDTIQV (SEQ ID NO: 30). 
     
     
       2. A pharmaceutical composition comprising a peptide consisting of the amino acid sequence of YIYKDTIQV (SEO ID NO: 30) in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable salt and an immune-stimulating adjuvant. 
     
     
       3. The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 2 , wherein the adjuvant is selected from the group consisting of anti-CD40 antibody, imiquimod, resiquimod, GM-CSF, cyclophosphamide, interferon-alpha, interferon-beta, CpG oligonucleotides and derivatives, poly (I:C) and derivatives, RNA, sildenafil, particulate formulations with poly(lactide co-glycolide) (PLG), virosomes, interleukin (IL)-1, IL-2, IL-4, IL-7, IL-12, IL-13, IL-15, IL-21, and IL-23. 
     
     
       4. The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 3 , wherein the adjuvant comprises IL-15. 
     
     
       5. The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 3 , wherein the adjuvant comprises IL-21. 
     
     
       6. An expression vector expressing a nucleic acid encoding a peptide consisting of the amino acid sequence of YIYKDTIQV (SEQ ID NO: 30). 
     
     
       7. A recombinant host cell comprising the expression vector of  claim 6 , wherein said host cell is a dendritic cell or a macrophage. 
     
     
       8. A method for producing a peptide consisting of the amino acid sequence of YIYKDTIQV (SEQ ID NO: 30), comprising culturing the host cell of  claim 7 , and isolating the peptide from the host cell or its culture medium.