Several embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods and compositions for enhanced expansion of NK cells in culture. In several embodiments, the methods utilize one or more soluble interleukins as culture media supplements at one or more time points during expansion of the NK cell, or other immune cell, the expansion employing a feeder cell population.

A method for producing a cell composition according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes separating and obtaining mononuclear cells and autologous plasma from human peripheral blood, coating a cell culture vessel with anti-CD3 antibody, and seeding the monocytes into the cell culture vessel and culturing the same in a medium containing at least one selected from the group consisting of IL-2, IL-12 and IL-18. The cell composition may have a proportion of interferon-gamma expressing cells that has increased to 60% or more among total cells, and as the proportion of cells continuously producing interferon-gamma is increased, atopic dermatitis can be significantly improved. In addition, it is expected that it will be possible to fundamentally treat immunological abnormalities of atopic dermatitis because the composition has no side effects and can be safely used for a long period of time.

The present invention provides methods of expanding γδ T cells from a non-haematopoietic tissue source. Further provided are compositions of expanded γδ T cells and methods of using the expanded γδ T cells (e.g., a part of an adoptive T cell therapy).

Provided herein are methods for pre-activating and expanding an isolated population of NK cells. Further provided herein are methods for the treatment of cancer by administering the pre-activated and expanded NK cells.

The present invention is based, in part, on the identification of an IRE1α-XBP1-cMyc axis in NK cell immunity. The present invention provides compositions and methods for treating conditions that would benefit from modulating (e.g., upregulating or downregulating) an immune response using an agent that modulates the IRE1α-XBP1 pathway, or a composition comprising modified NK cells.

Cytokine induced memory like (CIML) NK cells with enhanced cytotoxicity are presented. Most typically, the CIML NK cells are derived from a mononuclear cell fraction of peripheral blood or cord blood. In further contemplated aspects, the CIML NK cells are expanded and induced in a contained and automated production environment that substantially reduces operational complexity and production cost.

Disclosed is a method of culturing natural killer cells (NK cells) applied to immunotherapy. More specifically, disclosed are a kit containing a medium for culturing NK cells (NKCM kit) that can efficiently amplify and activate NK cells effective for the treatment of malignant tumors by culturing lymphocytes derived from human peripheral blood, and a method of culturing natural killer cells using the kit. The method for amplifying NK cells of the present invention includes stimulating NK cells with lymphocytes separated from peripheral blood, culturing the NK cells in a medium containing IL-2, IL-12, IL-15, IL-17, IL-18, and IL-21, and isolating the NK cells. Provided is a pharmaceutical composition for cell therapy containing NK cells produced by the method of amplifying NK cells. The pharmaceutical composition for cell therapy is expected to be widely used to treat infections and/or cancer.

A method may predict risk of onset of severe interstitial pneumonia caused by an immune checkpoint inhibitor to achieve a safe and highly effective cancer immunotherapy. Any one or more selected from: (a) cell count or proportion of Vδ2.sup.+γδ T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from a subject; (b) cell count or proportion of Vδ2.sup.+γδ T cells after antigenic stimulation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from a subject; (c) cell count or proportion of Vδ2.sup.+γδ T cells in peripheral blood T cells isolated from a subject; and (d) cell count or proportion of Vδ2.sup.+γδ T cells after antigenic stimulation in peripheral blood T cells isolated from a subject are measured, and the risk of onset of severe interstitial pneumonia is predicted by using the cell count or proportion as an index.

Factor rich compositions produced from umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells and processes for making and using same are described. The manufacturing process includes utilizing secretory UC MSCs, providing serum and growth factor free growth conditions, and performing filtration of the collected conditioned medium to obtain a clinical grade product.

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) represent innate versions of T helper and cytotoxic T cells that differentiate from committed ILC precursors (ILCP). Still, how ILCP relate to mature tissue-resident ILCs remains unclear. ILCP that are present in the blood and all tested lymphoid and non-lymphoid human tissues were identified. Human ILCP fail to express the signature transcription factors (TF) and cytokine outputs of mature NK cells and ILCs but are epigenetically poised to do so. Human ILCP robustly generate all ILC subsets in vitro and in vivo. While human ILCP express RAR related orphan receptor C (RORC), circulating ILCP can be found in RORC-deficient patients that retain potential for EOMES.sup.+ NK cells, T-BET.sup.+ ILC1, GATA-3.sup.+ ILC2 and for IL-22.sup.+ but not for IL-17A.sup.+ ILC3. A model of tissue ILC differentiation (‘ILC-poiesis’) is proposed whereby diverse ILC subsets are generated in situ from ILCP in response to environmental stressors, inflammation and infection.