Means for predicting treatment response in a subject having cancer are disclosed, where the predictions are based comparing the number and size of circulating cancer associated macrophage-like cells (CMLS) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) found in biological samples at baseline and after induction of therapy, such as blood, from the subject.

Disclosed herein is a method of treating nuclear protein in testis (NUT) midline carcinoma (NMC) in a subject in need thereof, comprising administering an effective amount of a bromodomain inhibitor, wherein the effective amount can be determined according to the expression levels of CD11b, which monitors responsiveness of the NMC to the bromodomain inhibitor. Also disclosed herein is a method of determining a bromodomain inhibitor treatment regimen in a subject suffering from NMC.

A diagnostic system for assessing cardiovascular health is provided that incorporates a microfluidic platform and sensors that capture inflammatory monocytes. The portable microfluidic platform shears activated monocytes in a small volume of blood (50 L) over a glass substrate that mimics the stress and molecular constituents of an inflamed artery. The sensor utilizes CD11c antibodies and/or VLA-4 ligands to capture cells. The device captures a subset of inflammatory subset of activated white blood cells that play a critical role in the progression of cardiovascular disease and whose numbers in the blood and the efficiency of capture directly correlate with risk and pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. The risk of future cardiac events can be assessed. The system can facilitate early detection of cardiovascular disease and can guide risk factor modification and therapy following treatment.

Methods are provided for the treatment of a HIV infection. The methods can include administering to a subject with an HIV infection a therapeutically effective amount of an agent that interferes with the interaction of gp120 and 4 integrin, such as a 41 or 47 integrin antagonist, thereby treating the HIV infection. In several examples, the 4 integrin antagonist is a monoclonal antibody that specifically binds to a 4, 1 or 7 integrin subunit or a cyclic hexapeptide with the amino acid sequence of CWLDVC. Methods are also provided to reduce HIV replication or infection. The methods include contacting a cell with an effective amount of an agent that interferes with the interaction of gp120 and 4 integrin, such as a 41 or 47 integrin antagonist. Moreover, methods are provided for determining if an agent is useful to treat HIV.

The present invention provides a method for diagnosing venous thromboembolism (VTE), comprising: detecting the level of an integrin 1 subunit, an integrin 2 subunit, and/or an integrin 3 subunit in a blood sample. Also provided is a reagent kit for diagnosing VTE, comprising a substance capable of specifically binding to the integrin 1 subunit, the integrin 2 subunit, and/or the integrin 3 subunit.

The present disclosure relates to a novel-peptide-based anticancer immunotherapeutic agent, and to use, as an anticancer immunotherapeutic agent, of melittin, a variant thereof, analogues thereof, or a conjugate in which a drug is linked thereto. The melittin, the variant thereof or the analogues thereof, of the present disclosure, specifically bind to ITGB2, which is expressed on the cell membrane of M2 tumor-associated macrophages, so as to kill the M2 tumor-associated macrophages, and a conjugate in which a pro-apoptotic peptide or an anticancer drug is conjugated as a drug to the melittin, the variant thereof, or the analogues thereof remarkably increases apoptotic effects of the M2 tumor-associated macrophages, and thus can be used as an anticancer composition for suppressing tumor growth and metastasis.

Provided herein are methods of measuring effects of immune suppression in a subject, the method comprising (a) quantifying a number of immune cells in a biological sample of the subject: (b) determining an expression level of a protein from the biological sample; and (c) analyzing the number of immune cells and the expression level of the protein, thereby measuring the effects of immune suppression in the subject.

Provided is a peripheral blood biomarker for evaluating the antitumor immune effect of radiation therapy. Also provided is a method in which the composition of cell subpopulation in a sample obtained from a subject is used as an index for immune activation in the subject caused by a radiation therapy. By comparing, with a reference, the amount of CD4.sup.+ T cell subpopulation that correlates with dendritic cell stimulation in an antitumor immune response or the amount of dendritic cell subpopulation that correlates with the dendritic cell stimulation in an antitumor immune response, the presence or absence of, and/or the magnitude of, immune activation occurring in the subject as a result of a radiation therapy can be determined.

The present disclosure relates to a method for predicting the response of a metastasis to immunotherapy in a metastatic colorectal cancer patient. The present disclosure also encompasses an immunotherapy for use in the treatment of a metastatic colorectal cancer in a patient in need thereof previously identified as having a metastasis responsive to immunotherapy and an immune-stimulating agent for use in the treatment of a metastatic colorectal cancer in a patient in need thereof previously identified as having a metastasis non-responsive to immunotherapy. The present disclosure also relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising an immune-stimulating agent and retinoic acid for use in the treatment of a metastatic colorectal cancer in a patient in need thereof.

Methods for predicting overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) of subjects having cancer, based on the presence of certain structures associated with circulating cancer associated macrophage-like cells (CAMLs), including micronuclei (MN), extracellular vesicles (EVs), enlarged polynuclearization (EPN), internalized intact cells and large internal cellular debris, are provided.