The present disclosure provides (i) isolated immunogenic TAA polypeptides (i.e., an immunogenic MUC1 polypeptides, an immunogenic MSLN polypeptides, and an immunogenic TERT polypeptides), (ii) isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding one or more immunogenic TAA polypeptides, (iii) compositions comprising an immunogenic TAA polypeptide or an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding an immunogenic TAA polypeptide, and (iv) methods relating to uses of the polypeptides, nucleic acid molecules, and compositions.

Methods and compositions for constructing and producing recombinant adenovirus-based vector vaccines are provided. In particular aspects, there are be provided compositions and methods involving adenovirus vectors comprising genes for target antigens, such as pro state-specific antigen (PSA), pro state-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), MUC1, CEA, and/or Brachyury, and costimulatory molecules for use in treatment methods that generate highly reactive anti-tumor immune responses and that allows for multiple vaccinations in individuals with preexisting immunity to adenovirus.

The present disclosure provides (i) isolated immunogenic TAA polypeptides (i.e., an immunogenic MUC1 polypeptides, an immunogenic MSLN polypeptides, and an immunogenic TERT polypeptides), (ii) isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding one or more immunogenic TAA polypeptides, (iii) compositions comprising an immunogenic TAA polypeptide or an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding an immunogenic TAA polypeptide, and (iv) methods relating to uses of the polypeptides, nucleic acid molecules, and compositions.

A set of target peptides are presented by HLA A*0101, A*0201, A*0301, B*4402, B*2705, B*1402, and B*0702 on the surface of disease cells. They are envisioned to among other things (a) stimulate an immune response to the proliferative disease, e.g., cancer, (b) to function as immunotherapeutics in adoptive T cell therapy or as a vaccine, (c) facilitate antibody recognition of tumor boundaries in surgical pathology samples, (d) act as biomarkers for early detection and/or diagnosis of the disease, and (e) act as targets in the generation antibody-like molecules which recognize the target-peptide/MHC complex.

The invention pertains to the use of a tumor vaccine composed of two peptides of nine amino acidsthe WT cryptic TERT572 (RLFFYRKSV, SEQ ID No: 1) expressed by tumor cells and its optimized variant TERT572Y (YLFFYRKSV, SEQ ID No: 2)for treating cancer in a HLA-A*0201-positive patient having a non-immunogenic tumor expressing TERT.

The present invention provides an mRNA cancer vaccine encoding human GM-CSF fused to multiple tandem epitopes. pVec-GM-CSF-hTes encoding human GM-CSF fused to three tandem hTERT epitopes, pVec-GMKE encoding human GM-CSF fused to three tandem epitopes respectively from MUC1, Kras and EGFR, pVec-hIL-12 encoding human interleukin-12 are respectively constructed, and used as templates for generating the corresponding in vitro transcribed mRNAs, which are mixed together as an mRNA cancer vaccine. This mRNA cancer vaccine contains human GM-CSF used as an immune adjuvant, multiple tandem epitopes constituting as multi-epitope cancer antigens and hIL-12 used to enhance the immunotherapeutic effects.

The invention provides a vaccine comprising a nucleic acid molecule that encodes a dog telomerase reverse transcriptase (dTERT) antigen, as well as methods of using the vaccine to induce an immune response against a TERT and to treat cancer in a mammal.

The present invention provides recombinant proteins or peptides comprising a mutated listeriolysin O (LLO) protein or fragment thereof, comprising a substitution or internal deletion of the cholesterol-binding domain or a portion thereof, fusion proteins or peptides comprising same, nucleotide molecules encoding same, and vaccine vectors comprising or encoding same. The present invention also provides methods of utilizing recombinant proteins, peptides, nucleotide molecules, and vaccine vectors of the present invention to induce an immune response to a peptide of interest.

Provided are compositions that include one or more peptides, wherein each peptide is at least 8 amino acids long and has an amino acid sequence as set forth in any of SEQ ID NOs: 1-45. Also provided are in vitro populations of dendritic cells that include the disclosed compositions, in vitro populations of CD8.sup.+ T cells capable of being activated upon being brought into contact with the disclosed populations of dendritic cells, antibodies or antibody-like molecules that specifically bind to complexes of MHC class I molecules and the disclosed peptides, methods for treating and/or preventing cancer such as leukemia using the disclosed compositions and/or populations, methods for making cancer vaccines using the disclosed compositions, methods for screening target peptides for inclusion in an immunotherapy composition, methods for determining a prognosis of a leukemia patient, and kits that include at least one of the disclosed peptides.

The present disclosure provides: (a) isolated immunogenic CEA polypeptides; (b) isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding (i) an immunogenic CEA polypeptide, (ii) an immunogenic CEA polypeptide and an immunogenic MUC1 polypeptide, (iii) an immunogenic CEA polypeptide and an immunogenic TERT polypeptide, or (iv) an immunogenic CEA polypeptide, an immunogenic MUC1 polypeptide, and an immunogenic TERT polypeptide; (c) compositions comprising an isolated nucleic acid molecule; and (d) methods relating to uses of the immunogenic CEA polypeptides, nucleic acid molecules, and compositions.