Immunotherapy Study in Borderline Resectable or Locally Advanced Unresectable Pancreatic Cancer

This protocol attempts to treat pancreatic cancer therapy using a naturally occurring barrier to xenotransplantation in humans to increase the efficacy of immunizing patients against their pancreatic cancer. In this protocol, the transfer of the murine α(1,3) galactosyltransferase \[α(1,3)GT\] gene to immunotherapy component cells results in the cell surface expression of α(1,3)galactosyl-epitopes (αgal) epitopes on membrane glycoproteins and glycolipids. These epitopes are the major target of the hyperacute rejection response. This response occurs when organs are transplanted from lower animal donor species into primates and results in rapid destruction of transplanted tissue and an augmented response against transplant antigens, including antigens not related to the αgal epitopes. Human hosts have pre-existing anti-α-gal antibodies that are thought to result from chronic immunological stimulation due to exposure to α-gal epitopes that are naturally expressed on normal gut flora and these antibodies may comprise up to 1% of serum immunoglobulin G (IgG). Opsonization and lysis of the immunotherapy component cells mediated by this antibody is believed to increase the efficiency of antigen processing by targeting vaccine components to antigen presenting cells via the Fcγ receptor.