| abstract |
EphA2 T-cell epitope agonists are provided herein. The agonists include peptides corresponding to specific fragments of human EphA2 protein containing one or more T-cell epitopes, and conservative derivatives thereof. The EphA2 T-cell epitope agonists are useful in an assay, such as an ELISPOT assay, that may be used to determine and/or quantify a patient's immune responsiveness to EphA2. The agonists also are useful in methods of modulating a patient's immune reactivity to EphA2, which has substantially utility as a treatment for cancers that overexpress EphA2, such as renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The EphA2 agonists also can be used to vaccinate a patient against EphA2, by in vivo or ex vivo methods. |