Disclosed are a natural killer (NK) cell expressing an anti-cotinine chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) specifically binding to cotinine, and a cell therapeutic agent containing the NK cell. The CAR-expressing NK cell which specifically binds cotinine, can effectively move to tumor tissue, regardless of the kind of cancer, depending on the binding substance bound to cotinine. Therefore, the natural killer cell can be usefully employed as a gene therapy exhibiting a highly efficient anticancer effect.

The present invention relates to novel antibodies, in particular murine monoclonal antibodies, chimeric and humanized, that are able to block specifically the human IgG receptors FcγRIIIA (CD16A) and FcγRIIIB (CD16B) as well as the amino and nucleic acid sequences coding for such antibodies. The invention also comprises the use of such antibodies or of fragments thereof as a medicament for the preventive and/or therapeutic treatment of diseases involving CD16, like autoimmune diseases, inflammatory disorders, allergies and infections, without inducing any adverse effects. In particular, these antibodies and fragments can prevent or treat anti-drug idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and autoimmune hemolytic anemia (ANA).

Compositions and methods are provided for inhibiting T cell mediated destruction of virally transduced, trangene containing cells.

Provided are methods for isolating T-cells with T cell receptors (TCRs) optimized for reactivity to specific peptides and decreased cross-reactivity to non-target peptides. Advantageously, TCRs of the invention can be optimized to target cancer antigens and peptides while having reducing reactivity to healthy cells. Methods of the invention utilize a novel combination of culturing conditions that increase T-cell activation and allow for validation of TCR activity. Culturing conditions of the invention further reduce culturing times generally needed to achieve expanded reactive T-cells. Because of the robust nature of the activation and validation conditions of the present invention, variants of identified TCRs can also be optimized and validated for their response to peptides, including cancer peptides.

The present invention provides self-contained systems for performing an assay for determining a chemical state, the system including a stationary cartridge for performing the assay therein, at least one reagent adapted to react with a sample; and at least one reporter functionality adapted to report a reaction of the at least one reagent with said sample to report a result of the assay, wherein the at least one reagent, the sample and the at least one reporter functionality are contained within the cartridge.

The present invention relates to peptides, proteins, nucleic acids and cells for use in immunotherapeutic methods. In particular, the present invention relates to the immunotherapy of cancer. The present invention furthermore relates to tumor-associated T-cell peptide epitopes, alone or in combination with other tumor-associated peptides that can for example serve as active pharmaceutical ingredients of vaccine compositions that stimulate anti-tumor immune responses, or to stimulate T cells ex vivo and transfer into patients. Peptides bound to molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), or peptides as such, can also be targets of antibodies, soluble T-cell receptors, and other binding molecules.

The disclosure provides an ex vivo method to prepare regulatory T cells, a population of regulatory T cells with enhanced properties and methods of using the population or complexes useful to induce Tregs in a mammal. The ex vivo methods allows for the generation and expansion of super regulatory T cells for the prevention, inhibition or treatment of autoimmune disorders.

The invention relates to a method of isolating a T cell that expresses a T cell receptor capable of binding specifically to an antigen presented by a cancer cell in association with an MR1 molecule. The method comprises the steps of (a) providing a preparation of T cells, (b) contacting the preparation with cancer cells expressing MR1 protein; (c) isolating a T cell that is specifically reactive to said cancer cells. The invention further relates to a method of preparing a T cell preparation expressing select MR1 recognizing T cell receptors from transgene expression vectors, the use of such T cell preparations in treatment of cancer, and to collections of MR1 reactive T cell receptor encoding nucleic acids and cells.

Embodiments are directed to methods of examining preimplantation factor (PIF) binding to a subject's circulating immune cells as a marker for immune dysregulation. Some embodiments are directed to methods of detecting a level of immune dysregulation sufficient to cause recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), methods of detecting a level of immune dysfunction sufficient to cause endometriosis, and methods of detecting a level of immune dysfunction comprising administering an effective amount of PIF or an analog thereof, and examining its binding to circulating immune cells. Within those methods, an about twenty percent change in PIF binding to a subject's circulating immune cells indicates a level of immune dysfunction.

The invention relates to the use in vitro of a kit for diagnostics, more particularly therapy-accompanying diagnostics, relating to a transplant and/or for diagnostics, more particularly therapy-accompanying diagnostics, relating to an autoimmune disease and/or for diagnostics, more particularly therapy-accompanying diagnostics, relating to a tumor disease and/or for diagnostics, more particularly therapy-accompanying diagnostics, relating to a vaccination, wherein the kit has the following components: a blood collection container, a blood collection set or blood collection system including a blood collection container, a nutrient medium for blood, and at least one activator for activating blood cells, more particularly immune cells, and/or at least one inhibitor for inhibiting blood cells, more particularly immune cells, and/or at least one modulator for modulating blood cells, more particularly immune cells.

The invention further relates to the use in vitro of a method for diagnostics in transplants and/or autoimmune diseases and/or tumor diseases and/or vaccinations, to a messenger-substance-containing supernatant for use in vitro in diagnostics in transplants and/or autoimmune diseases and/or tumor diseases and/or vaccinations, and to a combination for use in diagnostics in transplants and/or autoimmune diseases and/or tumor diseases and/or vaccinations.