The invention relates to helminthic parasite preparations and their use for treatment or prevention of GVHD in a subject that has undergone a transplant. The invention also related to helminthic parasite preparations and their use for prevention of GVHD in a subject prior to a transplant.

Disclosed are methods of isolating a TCR having antigenic specificity for a mutated amino acid sequence encoded by a cancer-specific mutation, the method comprising: identifying one or more genes in the nucleic acid of a cancer cell of a patient, each gene containing a cancer-specific mutation that encodes a mutated amino acid sequence; inducing autologous APCs of the patient to present the mutated amino acid sequence; co-culturing autologous T cells of the patient with the autologous APCs that present the mutated amino acid sequence; selecting the autologous T cells; and isolating a nucleotide sequence that encodes the TCR from the selected autologous T cells, wherein the TCR has antigenic specificity for the mutated amino acid sequence encoded by the cancer-specific mutation. Also disclosed are related methods of preparing a population of cells, populations of cells, TCRs, pharmaceutical compositions, and methods of treating or preventing cancer.

The disclosure provides methods for selecting patient sub-populations, or subjects, with inflammatory conditions such as inflammatory bowel diseases that are amenable to treatment with anti-Interleukin-23 therapy by measuring the serum levels of Interleukin-22 Binding Protein and/or the serum levels of Interferon-γ. In addition, the methods are useful in identifying sub-populations of patients with inflammatory disorders, such as psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis that are amenable to treatment with an anti-IL-23 therapy and/or an anti-IFN-γ therapy.

The methods, processes, and systems described herein include identifying an epitope of a peptide that may elicit an immune response in a subject. Often the methods, systems and processes may include designing and producing a composition comprising an epitope of a peptide identified using the methods or processes described herein.

A method for diagnosing or treating a mammalian subject having, or at risk of developing cancer, comprising: generating a circulating anti-cancer CD4.sup.+ Th1 response from antigen presenting cells or their precursors and CD4.sup.+ T-cells from a sample of said subject's blood which causes secretion of interferon-gamma (“IFN-γ”); and detecting said anti-cancer CD4.sup.+ Th1 response to determine if said response is depressed. A method for restoring HER2-specific CD4.sup.+ Th1 immune response in a HER2-positive breast cancer patient in need thereof, comprising: administering to said patient a therapeutically effective amount of a dendritic cell (“DC”) vaccine comprising autologous DCs pulsed with HER2-derived MHC class II binding peptides (“DC vaccination”) to elevate said patient's anti-HER2 CD4.sup.+ Th1 response, and measuring said anti-HER2 Th1 response of said patient pre- and post-DC vaccination to determine the amount of increase in said response.

Diagnostic screening tests that can be used to identify if a patient is a good candidates for an implantable vagus nerve stimulation device. One or more analyte, such as a cytokine or inflammatory molecule, can be measured from a blood sample taken prior to implantation of a vagus nerve stimulator to determine the patient's responsiveness to VNS for treatment of an inflammatory disorder.

There is provided methods of determining tuberculosis (TB) infection status in an individual comprising: (i) providing a sample comprising T-cells; (ii) exposing the sample of (i) to one or more TB antigens; (iii) identifying T-cells in the sample that are CD4 positive and (a) secrete TNF-α without secreting IFN-γ; or (b) secrete IFN-γ without secreting TNF-α; (iv) identifying those cells of (iii) which are also CCR7 and, CD127 negative; and optionally (v) calculating the cells identified in (iv) as a percentage of those identified in (iii); wherein the identification of cells in (iv) and/or the percentage of T-cells calculated in (v) correlates to TB infection status of the individual, and wherein steps (iii) and (iv) can be carried out either sequentially or simultaneously. There are also provided compositions and kits for use in such methods.

The present invention includes a composition and a method of modulating an immune response with a composition that comprises an anti-BAFF receptor antibody or binding fragment thereof that is bound or conjugated to an siRNA, and shRNA, or both, that targets a BAFF receptor mRNA.

The present invention relates to means and methods for determining whether a patient is in need of a PD-L1 inhibitor cotherapy. A patient is determined to be in need of the PD-L1 inhibitor cotherapy if a low or absent ER expression level and an expression level of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) that is increased in comparison to a control is measured in vitro in a sample from the patient. The patient is undergoing therapy comprising a modulator of the HER2/neu (ErbB2) signaling pathway (like Trastuzumab) and a chemotherapeutic agent (like dodetaxel) or such a therapy is contemplated for the patient. Also provided herein are means and methods for treating a cancer in a cancer patient for whom therapy comprising a modulator of the HER2/neu (ErbB2) signaling pathway (like Trastuzumab) and a chemotherapeutic agent (like dodetaxel) is contemplated, wherein the patient is to receive PD-L1 inhibitor cotherapy.

Provided are a method and a composition for preventing or treating atopic dermatitis through administration of monoclonal stem cells and a method for screening atopic dermatitis patients suitable for administration of monoclonal stem cells and predicting prognosis of patients. According to the method for the subfractionation culture and proliferation of stem cells of the disclosure, large quantities of desired monoclonal mesenchymal stem cells can be obtained in a short period of time through rapid proliferation of monoclonal mesenchymal stem cells. In addition, the monoclonal mesenchymal stem cells thus obtained can be administered to atopic dermatitis patients according to a prescribed administration cycle, guidelines, and dose to effectively ameliorate atopy symptoms in the patients. Moreover, by using a marker to identify patient groups particularly suitable for the treatment and selectively administering the monoclonal mesenchymal stem cells to the patient groups, an excellent therapeutic effect for atopic dermatitis can be achieved.