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 present application relates generally to genetically modified arenaviruses that are suitable vaccines against neoplastic diseases, such as cancer. The arenaviruses described herein may be suitable for vaccines and/or treatment of neoplastic diseases and/or for the use in immunotherapies. In particular, provided herein are methods and compositions for treating a neoplastic disease by administering a genetically modified arenavirus in combination with an immune checkpoint inhibitor, wherein the arenavirus has been engineered to include a nucleotide sequence encoding a tumor antigen, tumor associated antigen or antigenic fragment thereof.

A set of target peptides are presented by HLA A*0201 on the surface of ovarian cancer cells. They are envisioned to among other things (a) stimulate an immune response to the proliferative disease, e.g., ovarian cancer, (b) function as immunotherapeutics in adoptive T-cell therapy or as a vaccine, (c) facilitate antibody recognition of tumor boundaries in surgical pathology samples, (d) act as biomarkers for early detection and/or diagnosis of the disease, and (e) act as targets in the generation antibody-like molecules which recognize the target-peptide/MHC complex.

Disclosed are means, methods and compositions of matter useful for amplification of adaptive immune responses towards neoplastic tissue. In one embodiment, immunization of a patient is performed by a means comprising of administering either an exogenous vaccine or stimulation of immunogenicity of the tumor so as to cause release of antigens/increased exposure of antigens, thus resulting in an “endogenous” vaccine. Subsequent to vaccination a patient is treated by an immunopheresis procedure, in order to allow for removal of “blocking factors” produced by the tumor or produced by cells programmed by tumors to produce said blocking factors. In one embodiment further immunization is performed subsequent to removal of said blocking factors in order to allow for enhancement of adaptive immune responses.

The present invention relates to an anti-L1CAM antibody specifically binding to L1CAM antigen or an antigen-binding fragment thereof, a chimeric antigen receptor comprising same, and uses thereof. The anti-L1CAM antibody or the antigen-binding fragment of the present invention is excellent in specificity and affinity to L1CAM and thus may be used in the treatment and diagnosis of cancers related to high expression of L1CAM and diseases related to inflammatory disorders. In particular, when the chimeric antigen receptor comprising the anti-L1CAM antibody of the present invention is expressed in effector cells such as T lymphocytes, the chimeric antigen receptor may be effectively used as immunotherapy for cancers related to L1CAM and inflammatory disorders.

The present invention relates to an mRNA construct, comprising a target protein or peptide coding region and an IRES region downstream of the target protein or peptide coding region, wherein the mRNA construct of the present invention can stably maintain the expression of a target protein for a long time while being stably present in the cell.

The present disclosure provides an allogeneic whole cell cancer vaccine platform that includes compositions and methods for treating and preventing cancer. Provided herein are compositions containing a therapeutically effective amount of cells from one or more cancer cell lines, some or all of which are modified to (i) inhibit or reduce expression of one or more immunosuppressive factors by the cells, and/or (ii) express or increase expression of one or more immunostimulatory factors by the cells, and/or (iii) express or increase expression of one or more tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), including TAAs that have been mutated, and which comprise cancer cell lines that natively express a heterogeneity of tumor associated antigens and/or neoantigens, and/or (iv) express one or more tumor fitness advantage mutations, including but not limited to acquired tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) resistance mutations, EGFR activating mutations, and/or (v) express modified ALK intracellular domain(s), and/or express one or more driver mutations. Also provided herein are methods of making and preparing the vaccine compositions and methods of use thereof.

The present disclosure provides an allogeneic whole cell cancer vaccine platform that includes compositions and methods for treating and preventing colorectal cancer. Provided herein are compositions containing a therapeutically effective amount of cells from one or more cancer cell lines, some or all of which are modified to (i) inhibit or reduce expression of one or more immunosuppressive factors by the cells, and/or (ii) express or increase expression of one or more immunostimulatory factors by the cells, and/or (iii) express or increase expression of one or more tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), including TAAs that have been mutated, and which comprise cancer cell lines that natively express a heterogeneity of tumor associated antigens and/or neoantigens, and/or (iv) express one or more tumor fitness advantage mutations, including but not limited to driver mutations. Also provided herein are methods of making and preparing the colorectal cancer vaccine compositions and methods of use thereof.

Disclosed herein are cells that are immune cells or precursor cells thereof, which cells recombinantly express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), and a dominant negative form of an inhibitor of a cell-mediated immune response of the immune cell, wherein the CAR binds to a cancer antigen. Also disclosed herein are T cells that recognize and are sensitized to a cancer antigen, which T cells recombinantly express a dominant negative form of an inhibitor of a T cell-mediated immune response. Additionally provided are methods of using such cells to treat cancer in a subject in need thereof.

Disclosed is an SamRNA vaccine, including a recombinant viral vector which includes: i) a viral gene replication complex including nucleotide sequences encoding viral gene replication-related proteins nsP1, nsP2, nsP3, and nsP4; and ii) a nucleotide sequence encoding at least one antigen. According to the SamRNA vaccine of the present invention, in addition to that a promoter of a modified adenoviral vector itself can transcribe an antigen gene to form mRNA, the viral gene replication-related proteins nsP1-4 use RNA as a template to synthesize a large amount of mRNAs, and the immune effect of a target antigen is greatly improved.