Abstract: The invention provides a method of making a vaccine for treating or preventing cancer in a patient or individual which comprises preparing the vaccine from cancer stem cells, from fractions, extracts, shed material or purified antigens derived from these cells, or from DNA or RNA coding for cancer stem cell associated antigens. In one embodiment of this invention, cancer stem cells are separated from unrelated cancer cell populations and then expended and cultured under conditions in which the cancer stem cells shed or release tumor antigens, and using the shed material or cancer stem cell antigens isolated from it as the vaccine. The invention further provides a vaccine and methods of treatment using the vaccine for any cancer is disclosed. Also disclosed are specific applications of this method to prepare such vaccines from antigens released or shed by cancer stem cells, and a particular application to make a shed, cancer stem cell, vaccine for breast cancer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for increasing immunological response to a vaccine, comprising administering the vaccine subcutaneously to a patient in need thereof; anti administering a topical composition containing an amount of a toll like receptor ligand effective to increase immune response of the patient to the vaccine.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of preparing a vaccine suitable for administration to humans for the prevention or treatment of cancer. The vaccine is prepared by culturing human cancer cells in a serum-free medium and recovering from the culture medium the cell surface antigens shed from the human cancer cells during culturing. After purification, the collected or recovered shed antigens are employed to produce a vaccine consisting essentially of said antigens for the treatment or prevention of human cancer.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for producing a composition for use as a vaccine for treatment or prevention of cancer, comprising collecting antigens released or shed by the type of tumor cell against which it is desired to prepare the vaccine; preparing mammalian dendritic cells in a culture from a mammalian blood, bone marrow or other tissue sample by culturing the blood, bone marrow, or other tissue sample under conditions that cause differentiation and proliferation of dendritic cells; separating dendritic cells from other cells in the culture; and exposing the dendritic cells to the shed antigens collected as described in paragraph a. above under conditions that result in the combination of the shed cancer antigens or their fragments and the dendritic cells. The invention also provides compositions for administration as a vaccine for the treatment of cancer, and other diseases.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for producing a composition for use as a vaccine for treatment or prevention of cancer, comprising collecting antigens released or shed by the type of tumor cell against which it is desired to prepare the vaccine; preparing mammalian dendritic cells in a culture from a mammalian blood, bone marrow or other tissue sample by culturing the blood, bone marrow, or other tissue sample under conditions that cause differentiation and proliferation of dendritic cells; separating dendritic cells from other cells in the culture; and exposing the dendritic cells to the shed antigens collected as described in paragraph a. above under conditions that result in the combination of the shed cancer antigens or their fragments and the dendritic cells. The invention also provides compositions for administration as a vaccine for the treatment of cancer, and other diseases.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of preparing a vaccine suitable for administration to humans for the prevention or treatment of cancer. The vaccine is prepared by culturing human cancer cells in a serum-free medium and recovering from the culture medium the cell surface antigens shed from the human cancer cells during culturing. After purification, the collected or recovered shed antigens are employed to produce a vaccine consisting essentially of said antigens for the treatment or prevention of human cancer.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of preparing a vaccine suitable for administration to humans for the prevention or treatment of cancer. The vaccine is prepared by culturing human cancer cells in a serum-free medium and recovering from the culture medium the cell surface antigens shed from the human cancer cells during culturing. After purification, the collected or recovered shed antigens are employed to produce a vaccine consisting essentially of said antigens for the treatment or prevention of human cancer.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of preparing a vaccine suitable for administration to humans for the prevention or treatment of cancer. The vaccine is prepared by culturing human cancer cells in a serum-free medium and recovering from the culture medium the cell surface antigens shed from the human cancer cells during culturing. After purification, the collected or recovered shed antigens are employed to produce a vaccine consisting essentially of said antigens for the treatment or prevention of human cancer.

Abstract: A human anti-cancer vaccine is prepared by culturing human cancer cells, such as human melanoma cells, in a serum-free medium. The cancer cells are selected on the basis of expressing different patterns of cell surface tumor antigens and are adapted and grown in a serum-free medium. During culturing, cell surface antigens of the cancer cells are shed into the culture medium. The culture medium, after removal of the cancer cells, containing the shed cancer cell antigens is concentrated. When used as an anti-cancer vaccine, the resulting concentrated composition is administered to the patient, such as intradermally. In the instance where patients are cancer patients, the vaccine is administered to the patient intradermally over a period of weeks with or without an adjuvant.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of preparing a vaccine suitable for administration to humans for the prevention or treatment of cancer. The vaccine is prepared by culturing human cancer cells in a serum-free medium and recovering from the culture medium the cell surface antigens shed from the human cancer cells during culturing. After purification, the collected or recovered shed antigens are employed to produce a vaccine consisting essentially of said antigens for the treatment or prevention of human cancer.

Abstract: A human anti-cancer vaccine is prepared by culturing human cancer cells, such as human melanoma cells, human lung cancer cells, human colon cancer cells, human breast cancer cells, and other human cancer cells in a serum-free medium. The cells are selected on the basis of expressing different patterns of cell surface tumor antigens and are adapted to and are grown in a serum-free medium. During culturing antigens of the cancer cells are shed into the culture medium. The culture medium, containing the shed cancer cell antigens, is then concentrated, such as by vacuum ultrafiltration. In some instances the vaccine is then treated with a non-ionic surfactant or detergent, such as Nonidet P-40 (NP-40), to break up aggregates and treated with a presevative, such as sodium azide, and then subjected to ultracentrifugation.