Methods and devices are provided herein for identifying a cell population comprising an effector cell that exerts an extracellular effect. In one embodiment the method comprises retaining in a microreactor a cell population comprising one or more effector cells, wherein the contents of the microreactor further comprise a readout particle population comprising one or more readout particles, incubating the cell population and the readout particle population within the microreactor, assaying the cell population for the presence of the extracellular effect, wherein the readout particle population or subpopulation thereof provides a direct or indirect readout of the extracellular effect, and determining, based on the results of the assaying step, whether one or more effector cells within the cell population exerts the extracellular effect on the readout particle. If an extracellular effect is measured, the cell population is recovered for further analysis to determine the cell or cells responsible for the effect.

The invention involves improving the cultivation of T cells by incubating them with short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) pentanoate after isolation from peripheral blood. The effect is that the cells are activated and the production of effector molecules is increased. This increases the chances of success of tumor therapy. This is illustrated by T-cells from mice that are transferred to mice with subcutaneous pancreatic tumors after the procedure. This type of cell treatment can be transferred to humans and the improved treatment of pancreatic cancer. We show in detail that the short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) pentanoate enhances the function of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). We show that Pentanoate promotes the core molecular signature of murine CD8+ CTLs. Pentanoate enhances anti-tumor activity of antigen-specific CTLs. Bacterial-derived SCFAs exhibit specific HDAC class I inhibitory activity. Pentanoate-producing bacteria enhance CD8+ T cell-mediated anti-tumor immune responses.

Materials and methods for producing genome-edited cells engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) construct on the cell surface, and materials and methods for genome editing to modulate the expression, function, or activity of one or more immuno-oncology related genes in a cell, and materials and methods for treating a patient using the genome-edited engineered cells.

Certain exemplary embodiments are directed to a biologically active composition of matter (and uses thereof) configured for targeted delivery of biotin to mitochondria, the composition comprising a first D-biotin conjugated to a water-soluble, cell-permeable, peptide sequence, wherein the peptide sequence is selected from a polypeptide group with an alternating aromatic-cationic motif.

The disclosure provides antibody molecules that bind to TCR Vβ regions and multispecific molecules comprising said antibody molecules. Additionally, disclosed are nucleic acids encoding the same, methods of producing the aforesaid molecules, pharmaceutical compositions comprising aforesaid molecules, and methods of treating a cancer using the aforesaid molecules.

Serum albumin-free media comprising polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and methods of culturing immune cells in such media are disclosed. The PVA is used as a replacement for fetal bovine serum, bovine serum albumin, and recombinant serum albumin in media. Advantages of using PVA include that it is a chemically-defined reagent that is available at high-purity with minimal batch-to-batch variability.

The present invention relates generally to immunization and immunotherapy for the treatment or prevention of HIV. In particular, the methods include in vivo and/or ex vivo enrichment of HIV-specific CD4+ T cells.

The invention relates to peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) monolayers or bone-marrow cell monolayers and methods for its culture and corresponding uses of said monolayers. The present invention also relates, in some aspects, to screening methods comprising the PBMC monolayer or bone-marrow cell monolayer of the invention for determination of response or lack of response of a disease to a therapeutic agent and/or drug screening methods. In some aspects, the invention further relates to methods for diagnosing a disease or predisposition to a disease in a PBMC donor or bone-marrow cell donor comprising the PBMCs/bone-marrow cells cultured according to the method of the invention and/or to methods for determining whether the disease is likely to respond or is responsive to treatment with a therapeutic agent.

The invention relates to peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) monolayers or bone-marrow cell monolayers and methods for its culture and corresponding uses of said monolayers. The present invention also relates, in some aspects, to screening methods comprising the PBMC monolayer or bone-marrow cell monolayer of the invention for determination of response or lack of response of a disease to a therapeutic agent and/or drug screening methods. In some aspects, the invention further relates to methods for diagnosing a disease or predisposition to a disease in a PBMC donor or bone-marrow cell donor comprising the PBMCs/bone-marrow cells cultured according to the method of the invention and/or to methods for determining whether the disease is likely to respond or is responsive to treatment with a therapeutic agent.

Provided herein are methods of generating MDSCs ex vivo. The methods include culturing blood cells with an LRP2 agonist.