Abstract: An immunotherapeutic vaccine providing antigen presenting cells that have been pulsed with a disrupted cell preparation which includes enucleated cytosol and cell membranes of cancer cells infected with a recombinant vaccinia virus encoding at least one immunostimulating molecule. In a preferred embodiment, the vaccine includes autologous dendritic/monocytic cells (DC/M) that present a mixture of antigens (present in the enucleated cytosol and cell membranes) from melanoma cell lines that have been infected with a recombinant vaccinia virus encoding IL-2. In another of the preferred embodiments, the enucleated cytosol and cell membranes are from melanoma cells harvested from the patient to be treated. A method of making the vaccine and methods of using the vaccine to stimulate an anti-cancer immune response and to treat a patient with a cancer are also described.

Abstract: A virus-lysed tumor cell vaccine is an active immunotherapeutic agent against tumors in mammals. In particular, a vaccine based upon vaccinia virus-lysed, species-specific tumor cells is an effective stimulator of the immune response in mammals, and a vaccine based upon vaccinia virus-lysed spontaneously arising tumor cells is an effective stimulator of the immune response in some human cancer patients. A process for preparing the vaccine by viral oncolysis is also disclosed. Tumor cells are removed from a mammal, the cells are cultured in a culture medium and infected with live vaccinia virus. Viral oncolysis occurs during incubation and the resulting viral oncolysate, after extraction, may be injected into mammals to stimulate the immune response mechanism.