The present disclosure relates to a class of pyrimidine derivative peptide conjugates having enhanced immunomodulating properties. More specifically the peptide conjugate contains a TLR7 agonist and enhances the biological effect of the peptide to which it is coupled, increasing immunogenicity, and or lowering the effective dose of the peptide. In some embodiments, the peptide is an antigen, a vaccine, a peptide-based neoantigen vaccine, or an epitope.

An immunotherapy delivery system includes a hydrogel with an immunomodulatory cargo including cells encapsulated in the hydrogel, a cell adhesion motif in the hydrogel configured to reversibly adhere to and release the cells, and an immunomodulatory cargo encapsulated in the hydrogel. The hydrogel includes a polymer non-covalently crossed-linked with a plurality of nanoparticles.

The present disclosure provides signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)-activated macrophages, compositions comprising STAT-activated macrophages, methods of making STAT-activated macrophages, and methods of treating diseases, e.g., cancer, by administering a therapeutically effective amount of STAT-activated macrophages.

The present invention provides a complex for use in the prevention and/or treatment of cancer, the complex comprising a) a cell penetrating peptide, b) at least one antigen or antigenic epitope, and c) at least one TLR peptide agonist, wherein the components a)-c) are covalently linked. In particular, compositions for use in the prevention and/or treatment of cancer, such as a pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines are provided.

Disclosed are invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells engineered using hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) and methods of making and using thereof. Specifically, the engineered cells iNKT are genetically modified to contain at least one exogenous invariant natural killer T cell receptor (iNKT TCR) nucleic acid molecule. Further disclosed are iNKT TCR nucleotide sequences and codon optimized sequences for expression.

Described herein are compositions and methods for treating cancer through the combination of tumor antigen-pulsed dendritic cells and Dengue Virus. The combination of the two forms of therapeutic intervention provides enhanced tumor cell reduction compared to either alone. The cancer targeted by compositions and methods described herein may be a solid cancer or blood cancer.

The present disclosure provides modified immune cells or precursors thereof (e.g. T cells) comprising a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) capable of binding human PSCA. CARs capable of binding human PSCA, and nucleic acids encoding the same are also provided. Provided herein are bispecific CARs capable of binding human PSCA and human PSMA, nucleic acids encoding the same, and modified immune cells comprising the same. Modified immune cells comprising a PSMA CAR and a PSCA CAR are also provided. Compositions and methods of treatment are also provided.

Disclosed are pharmaceutical compositions for inducing an immune response against tumor cells comprising tumor cells which are made apoptotic by treatment with high hydrostatic pressure and dendritic cells, and methods for producing such compositions.

Provided herein are methods and customized media compositions for culturing CIK NKT cells.

Provided are a cancer-antigen-specific Natural Killer (NK) cell including a non-viral expression plasmid encoding a chimeric antigen receptor, wherein the chimeric antigen receptor comprises a cancer-antigen-specific single-chain variable fragment (scFv), a hinge region, a transmembrane domain, and intracellular domains; methods of generating said cancer-antigen-specific NK cell; a bispecific antigen-binding molecule comprising a first antigen-binding molecular and a second antigen-binding molecular, wherein the first antigen-binding molecular is an scFv specific to a cancer antigen, and the second antigen-binding molecule is specific to a second cancer antigen and an NK cell receptor, and comprises at least one of an scFv and and an aptamer-based molecule; pharmaceutical compositions comprising at least one of the cancer-antigen-specific NK cell and the bispecific antigen-binding molecule; and methods of treating cancer patients using the pharmaceutical compositions.