This disclosure provides genetically engineered immune cells that express an anti-GD2 chimeric antigen receptor, methods of generating these cells, and methods of treating tumors using the genetically engineered cells.

The present invention relates to an in vitro or ex vivo method for inducing a phenotypic and/or functional change in a population of mononuclear phagocytes isolated from biological samples. The method includes the incubation of the population in a culture medium which includes factors released from tumor cultures or explants. The incubation takes place under hypoxic conditions and the incubation induces a phenotypic and/or functional change in the mononuclear phagocytes of the population. The macrophages thus obtained assume a unique regenerative phenotype not present in other polarized phenotypes, including M2 macrophages. In addition, the invention relates to the use of the bioreactor thus produced for the regeneration of tissues, including neural tissue.

Provided herein are chimeric receptors, engineered cells and pharmaceutical compositions for enhancement of long-term clearance of protein aggregates in the central nervous system via phagocytosis or engulfment. Further provided herein are methods of treatment of subjects suffering from, or diagnosed with, a neurodegenerative disease by administering these receptors, modified cells, and/or pharmaceutical compositions. Administration of one or more, or a plurality of these modified cells, to a subject may provide treatment of a neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD) or Parkinson's Disease (PD). Advantageously, the modified cells, pharmaceutical compositions, and methods of the present disclosure meet existing needs in the art by providing clearance of accumulations of protein aggregates in brain tissue in PD and AD pathologies.

This invention provides novel carbonic anhydrase (CAIX) nucleic acid and peptide sequences, as well as related methods and compositions, including anti-cancer immunogenic agent(s) (e.g. vaccines and chimeric molecules) that elicit an immune response specifically directed against cancer cells expressing a CAIX antigenic marker. The novel CAIX variant and related compositions are useful in a wide variety of treatment modalities including, but not limited to protein vaccination, DNA vaccination, and adoptive immunotherapy.

The present invention relates to alternatively activated macrophages (AAMs) for use in the treatment of liver injury and methods of treating and preventing liver injury using AAMs.

The present disclosure is related to compositions that include polynucleotides encoding chimeric receptors, methods of delivering polynucleotides encoding chimeric receptors to immune cells, and methods of using immune cells encoding chimeric receptors to treat or prevent a neurological disease, disorder, or injury.

The present invention provides a method for producing a cell culture for promoting angiogenesis or axon outgrowth, particularly for the treatment of a cerebrovascular disease, an ischemic cardiac disease or traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury, which comprises culturing a cell population containing microglia and/or monocytes under conditions of low oxygen concentration and/or low sugar concentration to produce the culture, a cell preparation obtained by the method, and a method for treating a cerebrovascular disease, an ischemic cardiac disease or traumatic cerebrospinal neuropathy by using the cell preparation.

Provided herein are innate immune cells for use in therapeutic methods. Also described herein are pharmaceutical compositions comprising innate immune cells for use in the treatment of a variety of diseases including, but not limited to pathogenic infections, pulmonary diseases, inflammatory diseases, autoimmune diseases, and immunodeficiency.

The present invention is directed to compositions and methods for treatment of ischemic diseases and conditions, particularly myocardial, CNS/brain and limb ischemia. More particularly, the present invention provides methods of treating disorders by administering monocytes obtained from blood, including umbilical cord blood, peripheral blood, or bone marrow to an individual in need of treatment, wherein the drug is administered to the individual at a time point specifically determined to provide therapeutic efficacy. In one embodiment, the cells are for injection into ischemic myocardium for the treatment of angina.

Chimeric poliovirus is capable of activating antigen presenting cells. The activation of the antigen presenting cells may be in vitro, ex vivo, or in vivo. The activated antigen presenting cells may be administered alone or with an antigen or vaccine. The activated antigen may be loaded in vitro or ex vivo with antigen to form antigen-loaded, activated, antigen presenting cells. These may be administered therapeutically. Therapeutic administration of antigen presenting cells may be used as an adjuvant to other therapies.