The BBB is relatively intact beyond the surgical resection cavity [31], where invasive tumor cells have been documented several centimeters deep in the normal brain parenchyma [32] and [33]. Due to limited permeability of antibody into the normal brain and a focus on cell-mediated immunity, antibody response has largely been ignored in brain tumor immunotherapy literature. However, Daga et al. reported that efficacious vaccination with syngeneic glioma cells transduced with IL-21 failed in B cell deficient mice [34]. Further, a spontaneous antibody response specific to several glioma antigens is associated with

significantly longer survival in GBM patients [35]. We check details have recently demonstrated that CpG/lysate vaccination induces

plasma cell infiltration of brain that circumvents the BBB in a murine glioma model (Murphy et al., submitted). Glioma-reactive antibody has been documented to occur in murine models cured by immunostimulatory gene therapy approaches [36]. Additionally, plasma cells that secrete self-reactive antibody have been documented in the cerebral spinal fluid of patients with autoimmune disorders of the brain [37]. Together, such studies implicate tumor-reactive antibody as a plausible mechanism for the neurological side effects and uncharacteristically long survival of the treated dog in this study. Specifically, we noted the appearance of two new bands on the Western blot at ∼100 kDa and ∼30 kDa that correlated with the induction of left-sided hemiparesis and blindness in the left eye (Fig. 2A). The fact that these symptoms occurred on the left

side only is suggestive buy Adriamycin of an inflammatory response adjacent to the resection cavity in the right cerebral hemisphere which controls left-sided vision and motor function. In addition, steroids, anti-seizure medication, or CpG ODN may have caused some side effects in the treated dog. Corticosteroids induce hepatic changes that can include increased fat and glycogen deposits within hepatocytes resulting in increased ALT and GGT serum levels. Significant increases can be seen in serum alkaline phosphatase levels after corticosteroid administration much due to direct induction of the enzyme [38]. Increases in liver enzymes are well described for Phenobarbital in dogs, as well, and are not necessarily indicative of liver dysfunction. Mild anemia in this dog may have been due to the use of CpG ODN as an adjuvant. Mice treated with CpG ODN developed anemia that was attributed to erythropoiesis suppression and shortened red cell survival [39]. Ideally cancer vaccines will initiate expansion of CTLs that secrete multiple effector cytokines, traffic to tumor sites in sufficient number, and release cytotoxic granules to kill tumor cells. However cancer vaccines have had little clinical efficacy to date, suggesting that the quality and quantity of the responding T cells is inadequate.