Provided herein are engineered B cells, such as for adoptive cell therapy. In some aspects, also provided are methods and compositions for engineering and producing the cells, compositions containing the cells, and methods for their administration to subjects. In some embodiments, the cells are engineered to produce and/or secrete an exogenous protein, such as a therapeutic protein, including antibodies and antigen-binding fragments thereof. In some aspects, features of the cells and methods provide for increased or improved activity, efficacy and/or persistence of the cells.

A method of treating neurodegenerative diseases or disorders, especially Parkinson's disease and a method of inducing neural stem cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The induced neural stem cells can express neural stem cell-related genes and differentiate into neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. The dopaminergic precursors derived from the induced neural stem cells are transplanted into the striatum of the PD mouse models without any sign of tumorigenesis, thereby improving the behaviors of the PD mouse models and slowing down the progression of Parkinson's disease.

Methods for preparing ex vivo T cell cultures using IL-21 compositions for use in adoptive immunotherapy are described. Addition of IL-21 to cultures of non-terminally differentiated T cells population, either isolated or present in peripheral blood mononuclear cells are exposed to one or more tumor antigens, and in the presence of IL-21 compositions and antigen presenting cells (APCs), the resulting T cell population has an enhanced antigen-specificity, and can be reintroduced into the patient. Methods are also disclosed for identifying tumor antigens by culturing T cell populations exposed to IL-21 compositions and APCs in the presence of tumor material.

The invention provides methods for treating age-related macular degeneration by administering (i) peptide compositions, (ii) regulatory T-cells from the patient or a compatible donor, or (iii) a combination of regulatory T-cells and said peptide compositions. Also provided are methods for diagnosing age-related macular degeneration and monitoring its progression.

The present invention relates to an in vitro culture of haematopoietic cells, wherein said haematopoietic cells differentiate to form granulocytes characterised by the ability to kill cancer cells. The invention also relates to said granulocytes, methods for identifying said haematopoietic cells and granulocytes, compositions and kits comprising the same, as well as uses of the same for treating cancer.

This invention relates to methods for the expansion of T-lymphocytes with a memory-like phenotype in which the intracellular concentration of a memory induction compound, such as 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG), is increased in order to facilitate the maintenance of a memory-like phenotype. This may be useful for example, in cellular immunotherapy. The memory induction compound may the formula (I) wherein: p is 0 or 1, and when p is 0, Y is CH.sub.2 or C?, and when p is 1, Y is selected from CH, CH.sub.2, NH, S, and -0-; R.sup.1 is H, (CH.sub.2).sub.nCH.sub.3, (CH.sub.2).sub.nCH.sub.2CO.sub.2H, CH.sub.2Ph or CH.sub.2PhOCH.sub.2Ph; and when Y is CH, CH.sub.2, NH, S, or O, X is a single bonded group selected from H, OH, NH.sub.2, SH, (CH.sub.2).sub.nCH.sub.3 (CH.sub.2).sub.nCH.sub.2CO.sub.2H, F, Cl, Br, and I, or a double bonded group selected from ?O and ?S; and when Y is a double bonded C?, X is H; and each n is independently 0 to 12.

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Materials and methods for producing genome-edited cells engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) construct on the cell surface, and materials and methods for genome editing to modulate the expression, function, or activity of one or more immuno-oncology related genes in a cell, and materials and methods for treating a patient using the genome-edited engineered cells.

Materials and methods for producing genome-edited cells engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) construct on the cell surface, and materials and methods for genome editing to modulate the expression, function, or activity of one or more immuno-oncology related genes in a cell, and materials and methods for treating a patient using the genome-edited engineered cells.

Disclosed herein are methods of administering an agent targeting a lineage-specific cell-surface antigen and a population of hematopoietic cells that are deficient in the lineage-specific cell-surface antigen for immunotherapy of hematological malignancies.

The disclosure provides methods of treating a malignancy comprising administering an effective dose of a chimeric receptor (e.g., CAR or TCR) genetically modified T cell immunotherapy. Some aspects of the disclosure relate to methods of characterizing the pre-infusion tumor microenvironment and determining an effective dose of a T cell immunotherapy.