Disclosed herein are methods for treating cancer comprising administering CAR-modified immune cells and at least one Retinoic Acid Receptor and/or Retinoid X Receptor active agent.

Provided herein are prime-boost regimens and materials used therein. The prime-boost regimens enhance the immune response to a target antigen. The vaccines used for boost are comprised of recombinant attenuated metabolically active Listeria that encodes an expressible antigen that is cross-reactive with the target antigen. In some examples, the immune response is a cellular immune response.

The present invention provides compositions and methods for inhibiting one or more diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) isoform in a cell in order to enhance the cytolytic activity of the cell. In one embodiment, the cells may be used in adoptive T cell transfer. For example, in some embodiments, the cell is modified to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). Inhibition of DGK in T cells used in adoptive T cell transfer increases cytolytic activity of the T cells and thus may be used in the treatment of a variety of conditions, including cancer, infection, and immune disorders.

Provided are compositions for use in methods for treating diseases associated with expression of mesothelin comprising administering a cell that expresses a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) specific to mesothelin in combination with a PD-L1 inhibitor.

The invention includes compositions and methods for generating and expanding therapeutic Th17 cells. The invention includes contacting T cells with a composition comprising a first agent that is capable of providing a primary activation signal to T cells and a second agent that is capable of activating ICOS on T cells in the presence of Th-17 polarizing agents.

The present invention provides compositions and methods for generating a genetically modified T cells comprising a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) having an antigen binding domain, a transmembrane domain, a costimulatory signaling region, and a CD3 zeta signaling domain, wherein the T cell exhibits prolonged exponential expansion in culture that is ligand independent and independent of the addition of exogenous cytokines or feeder cells.

The present disclosure provides TCRs with high or enhanced affinity against various tumor associated antigens (including human Wilms tumor protein 1 (WT 1) epitopes and mesothelin epitopes), T cells expressing such high affinity antigen specific TCRs, nucleic acids encoding the same, and compositions for use in treating diseases or disorders in which cells overexpress one or more of these antigens, such as in cancer.

Disclosed herein are cells that are immunoinhibitory cell, which cells recombinantly express a dominant negative form of an inhibitor of a cell-mediated immune response of the cell. In certain embodiments, the immunoinhibitory cell is a regulatory T cell. In another aspect, provided herein is a regulatory T cell that recombinantly expresses a dominant negative form of an inhibitor of a regulatory T cell-mediated immune response. The cells can be sensitized to an antigen that is the target of a pathologic immune response associated with an immune-mediated disorder. Additionally provided are methods of using such cells to treat an immune-mediated disorder in a subject in need thereof.

The technology relates in part to binding molecules that specifically bind to a polypeptide that is the Isoform 2 of mesothelin, or that specifically bind to an antigenic determinant (epitope) of the isoform 2 of mesothelin, or that specifically bind to polypeptides containing an antigenic determinant (epitope) of the isoform 2 of mesothelin, chimeric PD1 receptors that bind to PD ligands such as PDLs, to polynucleotides including vectors that encode such binding molecules, to ceils presenting such binding molecules and to methods of making such cells, to humanized forms of the binding molecules, and to methods of using such binding molecules, such as for treating cancers (e.g., ovarian cancers and mesotheliomas), including cancers in which the Isoform 2 of mesothelin is specifically expressed and/or upregulated relative to normal tissues.

Provided is a method of activating a recombinant immune cell expressing a synthetic receptor comprising an intracellular domain derived from killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor 4 (KIR2DL4). Synthetic receptors described herein allow for the activation of recombinant immune cells against an antigen of interest without the deleterious effects of immune cell hyperactivation by existing CARs. The recombinant immune cells can thus be used to in the treatment of cancers or infectious diseases in subjects in need thereof, while limiting the hyperactivation of an immune response associated with traditional recombinant cell-based therapies.