Gp100:209-217 is a synthetic peptide

Peptide

Peptides are short polymers of amino acid monomers linked by peptide bonds. They are distinguished from proteins on the basis of size, typically containing less than 50 monomer units. The shortest peptides are dipeptides, consisting of two amino acids joined by a single peptide bond...

 cancer vaccine

Cancer vaccine

The term cancer vaccine refers to a vaccine that either prevents infections with cancer-causing viruses, treats existing cancer or prevents the development of cancer in certain high risk individuals...

 consisting of amino acid

Amino acid

Amino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and a side-chain that varies between different amino acids. The key elements of an amino acid are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen...

 residues 209 through 217 of the glycoprotein 100

Glycoprotein 100

Glycoprotein 100, gp100 or is 661 amino acids long and is atype I transmembrane glycoprotein enriched in melanosomes, which are the melanin-producing organelles in melanocytes.This protein is involved in melanosome maturation....

 (gp100) melanoma

Melanoma

Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the dark pigment, melanin, which is responsible for the color of skin. They predominantly occur in skin, but are also found in other parts of the body, including the bowel and the eye...

 antigen

Antigen

An antigen is a foreign molecule that, when introduced into the body, triggers the production of an antibody by the immune system. The immune system will then kill or neutralize the antigen that is recognized as a foreign and potentially harmful invader. These invaders can be molecules such as...

, with a methionine

Methionine

Methionine is an α-amino acid with the chemical formula HO2CCHCH2CH2SCH3. This essential amino acid is classified as nonpolar. This amino-acid is coded by the codon AUG, also known as the initiation codon, since it indicates mRNA's coding region where translation into protein...

 substitution at position 210. It is often referred to as the gp100 cancer vaccine which can also include other peptides based on gp100 (for example gp100:280-288(288V) ).

Clinical trials

It gave good results in a trial for advanced melanoma

Melanoma

Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the dark pigment, melanin, which is responsible for the color of skin. They predominantly occur in skin, but are also found in other parts of the body, including the bowel and the eye...

 when used in combination with interleukin-2.

Another trial against Ipilimumab

Ipilimumab

Ipilimumab , marketed as Yervoy, is a drug used for the treatment of melanoma, a type of skin cancer. It is a U.S...

in advanced melanoma suggested Ipilimumab may be better than the gp100 vaccine alone.