TF(c)-KLH (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)

The Thomsen-Friedenreich (TF) antigen vaccine, specifically known as TF(c)-KLH, is an investigational carbohydrate conjugate vaccine developed at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). It is designed to target the Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen, a tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen (TACA) that is frequently overexpressed on the surface of malignantly transformed cells, including those in prostate cancer. The vaccine's active component is a synthetic TF cluster (TF(c)), which consists of a trimer of TF disaccharides (Galβ1-3GalNAcα1-O-Ser/Thr) attached to a threonine-based peptide backbone. This cluster is conjugated to the carrier protein keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) to enhance its immunogenicity and is co-administered with the saponin-based immunological adjuvant QS21. In Phase I clinical trials, the vaccine has demonstrated the ability to induce high-titer IgM and IgG antibody responses and mediate complement-dependent cytotoxicity in patients with biochemically relapsed prostate cancer.

Other names

Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen vaccineTF cluster-KLH conjugate vaccineThompson-Friedenreich [TF(c)]-KLH Conjugate