Provided herein are methods and compositions for engineering antigen-presenting cells (APCs), such as dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages, and B-Cells, that are modified to express viral antigens. With this approach, large cell banks can be created that can be rapidly modified and deployed to fight various types of infectious diseases such as those associated with coronaviruses and other viral infections.

Disclosed herein is a kit to produce a personalized vaccine based on autologous dendritic cells. The kit contains all the materials, reagents and information necessary to produce a dose of live dendritic cell vaccine against a pathogen organism, part of a pathogen organism, a toxin, a venom, a structure obtained by recombinant method or chemical synthesis.

The present application is related to cancer immunotherapy, e.g. stimulation of T cell mediated anti-tumor therapy.

The present invention provides isolated immune cells, immune cell populations and compositions, as well as markers, marker signatures and molecular targets characterising the immune cells. The cell products, substances, compositions, markers, marker signatures, molecular targets, kits of parts and methods of the present invention provide for new ways to characterise, evaluate and modulate the immune system and immune responses.

The present invention provides a composition comprising dendritic cells loaded with hHsp60sp, which dendritic cells are from a subject and have been fixed with paraformaldehyde (PFA). The subject may suffer from an autoimmune disease. Also provided are a method for preparing the composition; recombinant human cells comprising a heterologous gene encoding a fusion protein of HLA-E and hHsp60sp or B7sp, and expressing the fusion protein on the surface of the cells; a method for determining a percentage of maximum inhibition of testing the function of the HLA-E restricted CD8+ Treg cells from a subject, determining whether HLA-E restricted CD8+ Treg cells freshly isolated from a subject are defective, or determining whether defective HLA-E restricted CD8+ Treg cells from a subject are correctable; and a method for correcting defective HLA-E restricted CD8+ Treg cells, treating type 1 diabetes (T1D), or treating multiple sclerosis (MS).

Disclosed are novel means, protocols, and compositions of matter for creating targeted immune responses and/or induction of immunological memory towards the tumor vasculature. In one embodiment pluripotent stem cells are transfected with one or more genes capable of eliciting immunity, induced to differentiate into endothelial-like cells which resemble the tumor endothelial cells, and utilized as a vaccine. In some embodiment's genes are engineered under control of specific promoters to allow for various specificities of activity. In one specific embodiment pluripotent stem cells engineered to endow properties capable of inducing expression of the α-Gal epitope (Galα1,3Galα1,4GlcNAc-R). Addition of adjuvants to enhance antigen presentation of the vaccine composition, as well as means of stimulating systemic enhancement of circulating endothelial specific T cells are also disclosed.

Embodiments of the disclosure concern methods and compositions for immunotherapy for human papillomavirus infection and diseases associated therewith. In specific embodiments, methods concern production of immune cells that target one or more antigens of HPV16 and/or HPV18, including methods with stimulation steps that employ IL-7 and IL-15, but not IL-6 and/or IL-12. Other specific embodiments utilize stimulations in the presence of certain cells, such as costimulatory cells and certain antigen presenting cells.

Described herein are compositions and methods for treating a disease, particularly a cancer, with an immune checkpoint modulatory agent and a strain of an Arbovirus or a strain of an Alphavirus. Also provided herein are also methods for combination therapy comprising administration of an immune checkpoint modulatory agent, tumor antigen primed dendritic cells and an Alphavirus or an Arbovirus.

The invention is situated in the field of cancer immunotherapy and more specifically the maturation of antigen-presenting cells in order to enhance their potency to induce an immune response.

Provided herein are methods for ex vivo expansion of a T cells, including tumor-reactive T cells, and compositions containing such T cells. Also provided are methods for treating diseases and conditions such as cancer using compositions of the present disclosure.