NGcGM3 Ganglioside: A Privileged Target for Cancer Vaccines

L FERNANDEZ; M GABRI; MD GUTHMANN; RE GOMEZ; S GOLD; L FAINBOIM; DE GOMEZ ; DF ALONSO

CLINICAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL IMMUNOLOGY

HINDAWI PUBLISHING CORPORATION

Año: 2010 vol. 2010 p. 1 - 8

1740-2522

Active specific immunotherapy is a promising field in cancer research. N-glycolyl (NGc) gangliosides, and particularly NGcGM3, have received attention as a privileged target for cancer therapy. Many clinical trials have been performed with the anti-NGc-containing gangliosides anti-idiotype monoclonal antibody racotumomab (formerly known as 1E10) and the conjugated NGcGM3/VSSP vaccine for immunotherapy of melanoma, breast, and lung cancer. The present paper examines the role of NGc-gangliosides in tumor biology as well as the available preclinical and clinical data on these vaccine products. A brief discussion on the relevance of prioritization of cancer antigens in vaccine development is also included.