Immunobiotherapy directed against mutated and aberrantly expressed gene products in pancreas cancer

Genetic alterations are responsible for the development of cancer in ductal cells of the pancreas. These genetic changes result in abnormal molecular expression of proteins that are involved in cell proliferation, cell cycle control and adhesion. Some of the genetic mutations result in aberrant proteins that can be recognized as novel or foreign by cells of innate and adaptive immune systems. These are appropriate targets for therapeutic intervention which may involve immunobiologic approaches. These approaches may be less effective because of immune escape mechanisms developed by tumor cells within the microenvironment of the tumor mass. Immunobiotherapy intervention of pancreas cancer must circumvent these obstacles and integrate effective immunotherapy with molecularly targeted approaches to pancreas cancer intervention.