Methods for manufacturing genetically engineered T cells expressing a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), such as a CAR that binds human CD19, BCMA, or CD70, and having multiple additional gene edits, for example, a disrupted Regnase-1 gene, a disrupted TGFBRII gene, a disrupted TRAC gene, a disrupted β2M gene, or a combination thereof, using CRISPR/Cas gene editing systems.

The present invention relates to methods for developing engineered T-cells for immunotherapy that are non-alloreactive. The present invention relates to methods for modifying T-cells by inactivating both genes encoding T-cell receptor and an immune checkpoint gene to unleash the potential of the immune response. This method involves the use of specific rare cutting endonucleases, in particular TALE-nucleases (TAL effector endonuclease) and polynucleotides encoding such polypeptides, to precisely target a selection of key genes in T-cells, which are available from donors or from culture of primary cells. The invention opens the way to standard and affordable adoptive immunotherapy strategies for treating cancer and viral infections.

A method for producing CD4/CD8 double-positive T cells, comprising the steps of: (1) culturing pluripotent stem cells in a medium to induce hematopoietic progenitor cells; and (2) culturing the hematopoietic progenitor cells obtained in the step (1) in a medium containing a p38 inhibitor and/or SDF-1 to induce CD4/CD8 double-positive T cells.

The invention includes compositions comprising at least one chimeric autoantibody receptor (CAAR) specific for an autoantibody, vectors comprising the same, compositions comprising CAAR vectors packaged in viral particles, and recombinant T cells comprising the CAAR. The invention also includes methods of making a genetically modified T cell expressing a CAAR (CAART) wherein the expressed CAAR comprises a desmoglein extracellular domain.

Described herein are methods for producing and utilizing an alternative signal 1 domain to construct an optimally signaling CAR. Alternative signal 1 domains of the present technology are based on alternatives to CD3ζ, including mutated ITAMs from CD3ζ (which contains 3 IT AM motifs), truncations of CD3ζ, and alternative splice variants known as CD3s, CD3 theta, and artificial constructs engineered to express fusions between CD3s or CD30 and CD3ζ. CAR polypeptides comprising alternative signal 1 domains are utilized to engineer CAR T cells. Further, this technology related to methods of treating cancer by administering to a subject in need thereof CAR T cells comprising alternative signal 1 domains.

The present disclosure provides improved compositions for adoptive T cell therapies for treating, preventing, or ameliorating at least one symptom of a cancer, infectious disease, autoimmune disease, inflammatory disease, and immunodeficiency, or condition associated therewith.

The present disclosure provides compositions and methods for enhancing immunity (or immune response). The compositions and methods are particularly useful for potentiating immune response of a lymphoid cell. The compositions and methods are also applicable for treating cancer and other diseases.

Embodiments of the disclosure encompass methods and compositions for producing engineered mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs). The disclosure concerns large-scale processes for producing MSCs that are engineered to have disruption of expression of one or more genes using CRISPR and also express at least one heterologous antigen receptor. Specific embodiments include particular parameters for the process.

Relapse in adoptive cell transfer of CAR-T cells is often the result of CAR-T cells disappearance. Disclosed herein a method for enhancing CAR-T cell therapy in a subject, comprising administering to a subject undergoing adoptive cell transfer of therapeutic CAR-T cells an Akt inhibitor in an amount effective to increase the persistence of the CAR-T cells. As a consequence, a subject treated with a combination of CAR-T cells and an Akt inhibitor is less likely to relapse. Therefore, also disclosed herein is a method for treating a subject, comprising adoptively transferring to the subject an effective amount of a composition comprising a CAR-T cell, and administering to the subject an Akt inhibitor in an amount effective to increase the persistence of the CAR-T cells.

Provided is an antibody, which is capable of specifically binding to a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA). The provided BCMA antibody is capable of specifically binding to an extracellular fragment of the BCMA and has excellent affinity and specificity; and the antibody is a functional antibody and has the activity blocking binding of the BCMA with its ligand APRIL. Immune cells constructed based on the antibody has an excellent specific killing function for a BCMA-positive tumor cell.