The present disclosure generally relates to, inter alia, recombinant immune cells that have been engineered to express elevated levels of one or more glucose transporters, and particularly relate to engineered immune cells exhibiting increased glycolytic flux and/or enhanced effector functions. Also provided are methods for generating a population of engineered immune cells with enhanced effector function, pharmaceutical compositions the same, as well as methods and kits for the prevention and/or treatment of a health condition in subjects in need thereof.

The success of anti-tumor immune responses requires effector T cells to infiltrate solid tumors, a process guided by chemokines. Herein, we demonstrate that in vivo post-translational processing of chemokines by dipeptidylpeptidase 4 (DPP4, also known as CD26) limits lymphocyte migration to sites of inflammation and tumors. Inhibition of DPP4 enzymatic activity enhanced tumor rejection by preserving biologically active CXCL10, and increasing trafficking into the tumor by lymphocytes expressing the counter-receptor CXCR3. Furthermore, DPP4 inhibition improved adjuvant-based immunotherapy, adoptive T cell transfer and checkpoint blockade. These findings provide the first direct in vivo evidence for controlling lymphocyte trafficking through CXCL10 cleavage and support the use of DPP4 inhibitors for stabilizing the biologically active form of chemokines as a strategy to enhance tumor immunotherapy.

The present invention provides immunoresponsive cells, including T cells, cytotoxic T cells, regulatory T cells, and Natural Killer (NK) cells, expressing at least one of an antigen recognizing receptor and one of a chimeric costimulatory receptor. Methods of using the immunoresponsive cell include those for the treatment of neoplasia and other pathologies where an increase in an antigen-specific immune response is desired.

An immunogenic fusion protein for use as a mucosal vaccine is provided, which includes: i) one or more FcyR1-binding domains; ii) one or more antigens from one or more infectious disease organisms; and iii) one or more FcRn-binding domains.

The success of anti-tumor immune responses requires effector T cells to infiltrate solid tumors, a process guided by chemokines. Herein, we demonstrate that in vivo post-translational processing of chemokines by dipeptidylpeptidase 4 (DPP4, also known as CD26) limits lymphocyte migration to sites of inflammation and tumors. Inhibition of DPP4 enzymatic activity enhanced tumor rejection by preserving biologically active CXCL10, and increasing trafficking into the tumor by lymphocytes expressing the counter-receptor CXCR3. Furthermore, DPP4 inhibition improved adjuvant-based immunotherapy, adoptive T cell transfer and checkpoint blockade. These findings provide the first direct in vivo evidence for controlling lymphocyte trafficking through CXCL10 cleavage and support the use of DPP4 inhibitors for stabilizing the biologically active form of chemokines as a strategy to enhance tumor immunotherapy.

The technology relates generally to the field of immunology and relates in part to methods for activating T cells and other cells resulting in an immune response against a target antigen. The technology also relates to costimulation of therapeutic cells that express chimeric antigen receptors that recognize target antigens using chimeric MyD88- and CD40-derived polypeptides. The technology further relates in part to therapeutic cells that express chimeric antigen receptors, wherein the chimeric antigen receptors have an endodomain that includes MyD88- and CD40-derived polypeptides, and methods for treating patients using the modified therapeutic cells.

The current disclosure provides for novel multi-specific CAR molecules for the treatment of glioblastoma (also called GBM or glioblastoma multiforme). This disclosure also describes nucleic acids encoding for the polypeptides, expression vectors comprising the nucleic acids, cells and/or populations of cells expressing the polypeptides and/or comprising the nucleic acids or expression vectors of the disclosure, and compositions comprising the polypeptides, nucleic acids, or cells.

The present invention provides methods and compositions related to multivalent carbohydrate antigen structures comprising cancer or infection associated ganglioside carbohydrate antigens. Said carbohydrate structures may be used to induce immunity against said carbohydrate antigens. In some embodiments, carbohydrate structures may be administered to a subject thereby inducing immunity in the subject, for example, the administration of a vaccine comprising said carbohydrate structure. Also provided are methods to induce an immune response in a subject in need thereof by administering said carbohydrate structure. Further provided are methods of producing an antibody or TCR that bind said carbohydrate antigens.

The present invention concerns methods and compositions for immunotherapy employing a modified T cell comprising a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). In particular aspects, CAR-expressing T-cells are producing using electroporation in conjunction with a transposon-based integration system to produce a population of CAR-expressing cells that require minimal ex vivo expansion or that can be directly administered to patients for disease (e.g., cancer) treatment.

The present invention relates to methods for reducing or eliminating the non-specific release of a cytokine associated with a disease comprising administering at least one glucocorticoid and an immunostimulating antibody. Additionally, the present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition that contains at least one immunostimulating antibody and at least one glucocorticoid.