Compositions, methods, and kits are provided for diagnosing narcolepsy. Susceptibility to type 1 narcolepsy is linked with the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQ6 allele and a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the T cell receptor gene segment TRAJ24. The presence of T cells reactive with hypocretin (HCRT) autoantigens is also associated with development of narcolepsy. Compositions and methods are provided for detecting autoreactive T cells specific for hypocretin (HCRT) autoantigens presented by HLA-DQ6.

Systems and methods of assessing a probability that an individual will develop sepsis are provided. The systems and methods can include obtaining a set of parameters associated with the individual including white blood cell count (WBC) and monocyte distribution width (MDW) value, and determining whether the set of parameters provides an elevated risk status by comparing at least the WBC and the MDW value with respective predetermined criteria. In the event that the set of parameters is determined to provide the elevated risk status, the systems and methods can further include obtaining a secondary parameter associated with the individual; and providing the probability that the individual will develop sepsis.

Strategies to assess and/or produce cell populations with predictive engraftment potential are described. The cell populations can be used for a variety of therapeutic and research purposes.

A method generates a natural immunity to a pathogen in the absence of a vaccine. The process draws a blood sample, exposes the blood sample to a pathogen outside of a living organism, and measures the antibody type, level, and a pathogen level in the exposed blood sample. The method injects the blood sample exposed to the pathogen into the source of the blood sample when one or more antibody types are detected at a predetermined level and the pathogen level is below a predetermined level.

A method of treating a patient who has hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), colorectal carcinoma (CRC), glioblastoma (GB), gastric cancer (GC), esophageal cancer, NSCLC, pancreatic cancer (PC), renal cell carcinoma (RCC), benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), prostate cancer (PCA), ovarian cancer (OC), melanoma, breast cancer (BRCA), CLL, Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), SCLC, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), AML, gallbladder cancer and cholangiocarcinoma (GBC, CCC), urinary bladder cancer (UBC), and uterine cancer (UEC) includes administering to said patient a composition containing a population of activated T cells that selectively recognize cells in the patient that aberrantly express a peptide. A pharmaceutical composition contains activated T cells that selectively recognize cells in a patient that aberrantly express a peptide, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, in which the T cells bind to the peptide in a complex with an MHC class I molecule, and the composition is for treating the patient who has HCC, CRC, GB, GC, esophageal cancer, NSCLC, PC, RCC, BPH, PCA, OC, melanoma, BRCA, CLL, MCC, SCLC, NHL, AML, GBC, CCC, UBC, and/or UEC. A method of treating a patient who has HCC, CRC, GB, GC, esophageal cancer, NSCLC, PC, RCC, BPH, PCA, OC, melanoma, BRCA, CLL, MCC, SCLC, NHL, AML, GBC, CCC, UBC, and/or UEC includes administering to said patient a composition comprising a peptide in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, thereby inducing a T-cell response to the HCC, CRC, GB, GC, esophageal cancer, NSCLC, PC, RCC, BPH, PCA, OC, melanoma, BRCA, CLL, MCC, SCLC, NHL, AML, GBC, CCC, UBC, and/or UEC.

Described herein is a fluorescent nanocomposite. The fluorescent nanocomposite structure may include a plasmonic nanostructure comprising having at least one localized surface plasmon resonance wavelength (λLSPR), at least one spacer coating, at least one fluorescent agent having a maximum excitation wavelength (λEX), and at least one peptide-loaded major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule (pMHC). The fluorescent nanocomposite structure has a fluorescent intensity that is at least 500 times greater than a fluorescent intensity of the at least one fluorescent agent alone.

Compositions and methods for identifying antigen-specific T cells, including determining paired T cell receptor sequences for a specific antigen, are described. Compositions and methods for identifying neoantigen-specific T cells are also described. Microfluidic devices useful for identifying antigen-specific T cells, and methods of using the same, are also described.

Aspects of the invention described herein relate to synthetic compounds that are useful for targeting and labeling tumor cells so as to facilitate recognition by binding agents including Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cells (CAR T cells), which are administered to a subject by intravenous or locoregional administration. Several compositions and methods of making and using these compositions to treat or inhibit a disease in a subject are contemplated.

The invention provides biomarkers for predicting the response to checkpoint inhibitors. The inventors demonstrate that a PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor exerts antitumor activity against tumor with low PD-L1 expression and immune-desert phenotype through blocking PD-L1 in the lymph nodes. The invention provides novel combinations of intratumoral markers for antigen cross-presenting cells and T cell chemokines which are expected to be superior efficacy-predicting biomarkers compared to existing methods.

The present invention provides systems, devices, and methods for point-of-care and/or distributed testing services. The methods and devices of the invention are directed toward automatic detection of analytes in a bodily fluid. The components of the device can be modified to allow for more flexible and robust use with the disclosed methods for a variety of medical, laboratory, and other applications. The systems, devices, and methods of the present invention can allow for effective use of samples by improved sample preparation and analysis.