Kathy Miller
Ballve-Lantero Professor, Indiana University
Peptide vaccines for prevention and treatment of cancer
Abstract
Vaccines targeting infectious diseases have had a profound impact on human health but early clinical efforts to develop cancer vaccines were disappointing. Peptide vaccines can be broadly characterized into two groups: cellular (T cell) and humoral (B cell) vaccines. Hundreds of tumor antigens, both shared and personalized neo-antigens, have been identified. Most vaccines in clinical development are designed to activate Th-1 cytotoxic T- cells (CTL) which play a major role in tumor rejection. However, humoral arm also plays a critical role in the generation of an antitumor response. The successful clinical usage of passively infused monoclonal antibodies points to the effectiveness of the humoral arm of the immune system. B cell epitope vaccines are designed to induce a protective humoral response. This response includes creation of antibody-producing plasma cells as well as immunologic memory. Several factors need to be considered in formulating an effective peptide vaccine; these factors include inclusion of a universal T helper epitope and the necessity to mimic the structure of the parent antigen to generate high-affinity Abs. We’ll review data from early clinical trials with both cellular and humoral vaccines, then highlight ongoing trials and opportunities for development.
Bio
Kathy D. Miller received her MD in 1991 from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Miller completed internal medicine training at Hopkins, then returned to her native Midwest for fellowship training at Indiana University, serving as Chief Fellow in 1997. She returned to Indiana University in 1999, attaining the rank of Professor and Ballvé-Lantero Scholar in 2014. She served as the Associate Director for Clinical Research for the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center from 12/17-3/25. Dr. Miller’s career has combined both laboratory and clinical research in breast cancer. She was chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Breast Core Committee in January 2014 through Dec 2017 when she was elected co-chair of NCI’s Breast Cancer Steering Committee, completing two terms in 3/25. In those roles she worked with academic scientists and community oncologists to develop trials that combine clinical and biologic endpoints yet remain feasible in non-academic settings.