Provided are combination therapies for treating and preventing relapse of a tumor and infectious diseases in a subject, as well as methods for use thereof. The combination therapies comprise an Hsp70 based pharmaceutical ingredient and at least one further immunotherapeutic agent that specifically inhibits and/or preferably binds to an immune checkpoint molecule or tumor immune microenvironment immune regulator. Furthermore, a kit and methods of using the combination therapies of the invention are described.

The present disclosure relates to EGFR-derived polypeptides containing short juxtamembrane sequences, nucleic acids encoding them, and methods of using them to improve cell surface expression of truncated EGFR markers.

An isolated chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) polypeptide, wherein the CAR includes an extracellular antigen-binding domain, including an antibody or antibody fragment that binds to a protein encoded by a herpes virus, or to a protein complex including the protein (herpes virus antigen), wherein the herpes virus antigen is present on the surface of a human cell that is latently infected with said herpes virus and supports the lytic phase of viral replication. The invention further relates to a nucleic acid molecule encoding the CAR of the invention, a genetically modified immune cell, preferably a T cell, expressing the CAR of the invention and the use of the cell in the treatment of a medical disorder associated with human herpesvirus, such as herpes virus-associated cancers, chronic active herpes virus infections or primary herpes virus infections. In preferred embodiments the herpes virus is Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and a preferred herpes virus antigen target of the CAR is the EBV glycoprotein 350/220 (gp350/gp220).

The application relates to a chimeric receptor that targets CD33 and allows activation of the co-stimulatory pathway without binding the natural ligand. The application also relates to polynucleotides that encode the chimeric receptor, vectors, and host cells comprising the chimeric receptor. The application also relates to methods for preparing host cells comprising a chimeric antigen receptor in order to improve the in vivo persistence of the chimeric antigen receptor host cells.

The present disclosure provides antibodies that specifically bind to human glucocorticoid-induced TNFR family related receptor (GITR) and compositions comprising such antibodies. In a specific aspect, the antibodies specifically bind to human GITR and modulate GITR activity, e.g., enhance, activate or induce GITR activity, utilizing such antibodies. The present disclosure also provides methods for treating disorders, such as cancer and infectious diseases, by administering an antibody that specifically binds to human GITR and modulates GITR activity e.g., enhances, activates or induces GITR activity.

Hematopoeitic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC) and/or non-T effector cells are modified to express an extracellular component including a tag cassette. The tag cassette can be used to activate, promote proliferation of, detect, enrich, isolate, track, deplete and/or eliminate modified cells. The cells can also be modified to express a binding domain.

The document provides to methods and materials for generating T cells (e.g., antigen-specific CD4.sup.+ T cells). For example, methods and materials for using nested MHC class II epitopes as vaccines to generate activated CD4.sup.+ T cells in vivo or as reagents to generate activated CD4.sup.+ T cells ex vivo are provided.

Provided are chimeric receptors for engineering cells for adoptive therapy, including T cells, and the genetically engineered cells. In some embodiments, the chimeric receptors, such as chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are modified in a junction region by one or more amino acid modifications such that peptide fragments of such region exhibit a lower binding affinity for a human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and/or the region exhibits reduced immunogenicity, including following administration to a subject. In some aspects, also provided are methods and compositions for engineering and producing cells expressing such chimeric receptors, compositions containing the cells, and method for their administration to subjects. In some embodiments, features of the chimeric receptors and engineered cells containing the chimeric receptors result in methods that provide for increased or improved activity, efficacy and/or persistence.

Chimeric antigen receptors containing CD19/CD20 or CD20/CD19 antigen binding domains are disclosed. Nucleic acids, recombinant expression vectors, host cells, antigen binding fragments, and pharmaceutical compositions, relating to the chimeric antigen receptors are also disclosed. Methods of treating or preventing cancer in a subject, and methods of making chimeric antigen receptor T cells are also disclosed.

The present invention concerns methods of treating a disease such as leukemia in a subject by administering natural killer (NK) cells. In particular aspects, HLA-C1-licensed KIR2DL2/3 and KIR2DS2 NK cells are administered to a subject with an HLA-C genotype either homozygous or heterozygous for the C1 allele, or HLA-C2 licensed cells are administered to a subject with an HLA-C genotype homozygous for the C2 allele. In further aspects, the NK cells are genetically modified to express a chimeric antigen receptor and interleukin 15.