A whole cell vaccine comprised of irradiated allogeneic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with potential immunostimulating and antineoplastic activities. Allogeneic renal cell carcinoma vaccine MGN1601 contains two active ingredients: 1) genetically modified allogeneic RCC cells that are transiently transfected with four different MIDGE (Minimalistic Immunogenically Defined Gene Expression) vectors encoding IL-7, GM-CSF, CD80 and CD154 and 2) the synthetic DNA-based immunomodulator dSLIM-30L1, a TLR9 agonist.. Vaccination results in expression of IL-7, GM-CSF, CD80 and CD154, which all contribute to the activation or enhancement of immune responses. Furthermore, administration of this RCC vaccine may elicit a cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response against similar host tumor cells, resulting in decreased tumor growth. TLR9 is a member of the TLR family, which plays a fundamental role in pathogen recognition and activation of innate immunity.