HEAT-SHOCK-PROTEIN PEPTIDE INTERACTION AS THE BASIS FOR A NEW-GENERATION OF VACCINES AGAINST CANCERS AND INFECTIOUS-DISEASES

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are associated in vivo with the entire repe rtoire of peptides (antigenic and otherwise) generated within that cel l. Immunization with such HSP-peptide complexes is unusually efficient in eliciting cellular;immune responses against the antigenic peptides associated with the HSPs. This broad and general principle is the bas is for a new generation of vaccines against cancers and infectious dis eases and circumvents the need for identification of the T cell epitop es for any given cancer or infectious agent.