Methods and compositions for diagnosing the presence of a cancer cell in an individual are provided. Methods and compositions for identifying a tumor-specific signature in an individual having cancer are also provided. Methods and compositions for diagnosing the presence of an infectious agent in an individual and/or for identifying an infectious agent-specific signature in an infected individual are provided. Methods and compositions for diagnosing the presence of a disease in an individual are also provided. Methods and compositions for identifying a disease-specific signature in an individual having the disease are also provided.

The present invention provides a cell-based method for identification of an adjuvant and adjuvant combinations and a composition of a vaccine that includes the adjuvant and adjuvant combinations. The method comprises the steps: using an adjuvant or adjuvant combination to treat at least one type of antigen-presenting cells and measuring amount of at least one cytokine produced by the antigen-presenting cells.

A method is provided herein to increase an immune response to an antigen. The method includes administering an agent that inhibits extracellular adenosine or inhibits adenosine receptors. Also disclosed are methods to increase the efficacy of a vaccine and to increase an immune response to a tumor antigen or immune cell-mediated tumor destruction.

The present invention relates to use of an odorant receptor for suppressing the lactate-induced M2-type differentiation of tumor-associated macrophages and tumor growth. In particular, the inventors of the present invention assumed that lactate-activated OR Olfr78 would function as a macrophage lactate sensor, and confirmed whether Olfr78 on bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) detect tumor-derived lactate and lactate-induced M2 polarization. The inventors of the present invention attempted to identify factors detected by Olfr78 in tumor conditioned media (TCM), and discovered that lactate in TCM and acetic acid under some conditions are major factors involved in Olfr78-mediated generation of tumor-friendly M2-TAMs. Finally, it was found that Olfr78 deficiency inhibited tumor progression and metastasis and improved antitumor immunity in vivo (in vivo). According to the present invention, Olfr78-lactate interaction plays a major role in tumor progression, and thus, targeting of the Olfr78-lactate axis can be effectively used in targeted cancer therapy.

The present invention relates to a method for evaluating an efficacy of an anticancer drug or an anticancer drug candidate, comprising the step of treating a mixture of cancer organoids and immune cells with the anticancer drug or the anticancer drug candidate. In addition, it relates to the anticancer drug efficacy evaluation system or anticancer drug screening system comprising cancer organoids and immune cells.

The mixture of cancer organoids and immune cells according to the present invention is mixed in a specific ratio, and accordingly can similarly reproduce a tumor microenvironment in which cancer cells exist in the body. Therefore, it can make it possible to accurately predict the efficacy of the drug when administered to a subject.

The present invention discloses a fragment of peptide which can be utilized in patients suffering from a disseminated mycobacterial infection. The fragment of peptide contains a sequence of amino acids with seven residues as formula (I) shown below, wherein X.sub.1 is Leucine (Leu); X.sub.2 is Proline (Pro); X.sub.3 is Glutamate (Glu); X.sub.4 is serine (Ser); X.sub.5 is Serine (Ser); X.sub.6 is Leucine (Leu) and X.sub.7 is Arginine (Arg): X.sub.1-X.sub.2-X.sub.3-X.sub.4-X.sub.5-X.sub.6-X.sub.7 (I).

This invention provides a set of biological markers that are useful for detecting cancer. This invention further provides methods of using those biological markers for the diagnosis, prognosis, or monitoring of cancer.

The present disclosure provides methods of assaying for antibody-dependent cell-mediated phagocytosis (ADCP). In some embodiments, the methods include monomerizing and labeling a protein, contacting the protein with a protein-specific antibody to form an antibody-protein complex, contacting the antibody-protein complex with a phagocytic cell to permit phagocytosis, and assessing the amount of internalized fluorescence.

In one embodiment, the invention provides a method of treating a subject suffering from a Mycobacterium infection by administering to the subject a therapeutically-effective amount of a degradative autophagy agonist or a secretory autophagy antagonist. In another embodiment, the invention provides a method of treating a subject suffering from one or more diseases selected from the group consisting of a Mycobacterium infection, an inflammatory disorder, an immune disorder, a cancer and a neurodegenerative disorder by administering to the subject a therapeutically-effective amount of a TBK-1 antagonist (e.g. BX795 or amlexanox). Related pharmaceutical compositions, diagnostic and screening assays and kits are also provided.

A method of treating a cancer, the method comprising: providing a genetically modified macrophage or monocyte that contains a nucleic acid sequence encoding a Hom-1 polypeptide or a fragment thereof that contains the Hom-1 homeobox domain, wherein the nucleic acid sequence is operably linked to a heterologous promoter and the modified macrophage or monocyte expresses the Hom-1 polypeptide or the fragment thereof; and administering the modified macrophage or monocyte to a subject with a cancer.