Transcutaneous Immunization with Cytotoxic T-Cell Peptide Epitopes Provides Effective Antitumor Immunity in Mice

Much attention has been focused on transcutaneous immunization strategies to stimulate systemic cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses leading to anti-tumor or anti-microbial immunity. Here we report that topical application of vaccines consisting of synthetic peptides formulated with imiquimod, a Toll-like receptor agonist that functions as a potent adjuvant generates strong T cell responses that exhibit effective anti-tumor effects in a murine melanoma model system. These results support the use of peptide-based transcutaneous vaccines as a noninvasive and effective strategy for anti-tumor immunotherapy.