MimoVac® Breast Cancer Vaccines
MimoVac® vaccines are based on mimotopes, peptides mimicking natural antibody binding sites (epitopes) of HER-2. These peptides are not parts of the HER-2 amino acid sequence, but they are selected from millions of random peptides displayed on phage surfaces.
A patent covering the MimoVac® technology is pending.
Development of MimoVac®
From a library of phages displaying random peptides those phages binding to
an anti-HER-2 antibody with known tumor-inhibiting capacity are selected.
The selection is performed using several rounds of binding, removing of unbound phages
and amplification of bound phages. Finally, the sequences of the peptides displayed
by the selected phages are determined.
The peptides are chemically synthesized and coupled to an immunogenic protein.
These conjugates are tested by injecting them into mice, which then produce HER-2
specific antibodies. The mouse sera are further tested for their specificity and
their potential to inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells and to mediate cytotoxicity.