Novel peptides and combination of peptides for use in immunotherapy against hepatocellular carcinoma (hcc) and other cancers

Abstract

A method of treating a patient who has a cancer includes administering to said patient a composition containing a population of activated T cells that selectively recognize the cancer cells in the patient that aberrantly express a peptide consisting of the amino acid sequence of GVYDGEEHSV (SEQ ID NO: 303), in which the peptide is in a complex with an MHC molecule.

1 . A method of treating a patient who has a cancer, comprising administering to said patient a composition comprising a population of activated T cells that selectively recognize the cancer cells in the patient that aberrantly express a peptide consisting of the amino acid sequence of GVYDGEEHSV (SEQ ID NO: 303), wherein the peptide is in a complex with an MHC molecule, wherein the cancer is selected from the group consisting of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), brain cancer, kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, colon or rectal cancer, and leukemia. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the T cells are autologous to the patient. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the T cells are obtained from a healthy donor. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the T cells are derived from tumor infiltrating lymphocytes or peripheral blood mononuclear cells. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising expanding T cells in vitro. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the MHC molecule is a class I molecule. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises an adjuvant. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the adjuvant is selected from the group consisting of imiquimod, resiguimod, GM-CSF, cyclophosphamide, Sunitinib, bevacizumab, interferon-alpha, CpG oligonucleotides and derivatives, poly-(I:C) and derivatives, RNA, sildenafil, and particulate formations with poly(lactid co-glycolid) (PLG) and virosomes. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the activated T cells are cytotoxic T cells produced by contacting T cells with an antigen presenting cell that expresses the peptide in a complex with an MHC class I molecule on the surface of the antigen presenting cell, for a period of time sufficient to activate said T cell specifically against the peptide. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the T cells contact with an antigen presenting cell in vitro. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the antigen presenting cell is infected with a recombinant virus expressing the peptide. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the antigen presenting cell is a dendritic cell or a macrophage. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising stimulating the activated T cells in the presence of an anti-CD28 antibody and IL-12 to clonally expand the T cells. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of activated T cells comprises CD8-positive cells. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cancer is brain cancer. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cancer is HCC. 
     
     
         17 . A method of treating a patient who has a cancer, comprising administering to said patient a composition comprising a peptide consisting of the amino acid sequence of GVYDGEEHSV (SEQ ID NO: 303), thereby inducing a T cell response, wherein the cancer is selected from the group consisting of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), brain cancer, kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, colon or rectal cancer, and leukemia. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the T cell response is a cytotoxic T cell response. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the peptide is in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable salt. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the cancer is HCC.