Recent years have seen a resurgence in interest in the development of efficient non-viral delivery systems for DNA vaccines and gene therapy. We have previously used oxidized and reduced mannan as carriers for protein delivery to antigen-presenting cells by targeting the receptors that bind mannose, resulting in efficient induction of cellular responses. In the present study, oxidized mannan and reduced mannan were used as receptor-mediated gene transfer ligands for cancer immunotherapy. In vivo studies in C57BL/6 mice showed that injection of DNA encoding ovalbumin (OVA) complexed to oxidized or reduced mannan-poly-L-lysine induced CD8 and CD4 T-cell responses as well as antibody responses leading to protection of mice from OVA+ tumours. Both oxidized and reduced mannan delivery was superior to DNA alone or DNA-poly-L-lysine. These studies demonstrate the potential of oxidized and reduced mannan for efficient receptor-mediated gene delivery in vivo, particularly as DNA vaccines for cancer immunotherapy.