Provided herein are methods and compositions for engineering antigen-presenting cells (APCs), such as dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages, and B-Cells, that are modified to express viral antigens. With this approach, large cell banks can be created that can be rapidly modified and deployed to fight various types of infectious diseases such as those associated with coronaviruses and other viral infections.

Disclosed herein is a kit to produce a personalized vaccine based on autologous dendritic cells. The kit contains all the materials, reagents and information necessary to produce a dose of live dendritic cell vaccine against a pathogen organism, part of a pathogen organism, a toxin, a venom, a structure obtained by recombinant method or chemical synthesis.

The present application is related to cancer immunotherapy, e.g. stimulation of T cell mediated anti-tumor therapy.

Disclosed are novel means, protocols, and compositions of matter for creating targeted immune responses and/or induction of immunological memory towards the tumor vasculature. In one embodiment pluripotent stem cells are transfected with one or more genes capable of eliciting immunity, induced to differentiate into endothelial-like cells which resemble the tumor endothelial cells, and utilized as a vaccine. In some embodiment's genes are engineered under control of specific promoters to allow for various specificities of activity. In one specific embodiment pluripotent stem cells engineered to endow properties capable of inducing expression of the α-Gal epitope (Galα1,3Galα1,4GlcNAc-R). Addition of adjuvants to enhance antigen presentation of the vaccine composition, as well as means of stimulating systemic enhancement of circulating endothelial specific T cells are also disclosed.

Embodiments of the disclosure concern methods and compositions for immunotherapy for human papillomavirus infection and diseases associated therewith. In specific embodiments, methods concern production of immune cells that target one or more antigens of HPV16 and/or HPV18, including methods with stimulation steps that employ IL-7 and IL-15, but not IL-6 and/or IL-12. Other specific embodiments utilize stimulations in the presence of certain cells, such as costimulatory cells and certain antigen presenting cells.

Described herein are compositions and methods for treating a disease, particularly a cancer, with an immune checkpoint modulatory agent and a strain of an Arbovirus or a strain of an Alphavirus. Also provided herein are also methods for combination therapy comprising administration of an immune checkpoint modulatory agent, tumor antigen primed dendritic cells and an Alphavirus or an Arbovirus.

The invention is situated in the field of cancer immunotherapy and more specifically the maturation of antigen-presenting cells in order to enhance their potency to induce an immune response.

Cell culture systems and methods provide improved immunotherapeutic product manufacturing with greater scalability, flexibility, and automation. Cell culture systems are configured with interchangeable cartridges, allowing versatility and scalability. Systems are configured to have multiple connected cell culture chambers, which allows parallel processing of different types of cells. Gas-impermeable cell culture chambers and methods for generating cells in closed systems prevent contamination and user error. Methods for recycling cell culture medium provide additional efficiencies.

The invention pertains to a cell population for use in treating cancer in a patient, comprising CD1c (BDCA-1).sup.+/CD19.sup.− dendritic cells, wherein CD1c(BDCA-1).sup.+/CD19.sup.− dendritic cells are depleted for CD1c (BDCA-1).sup.+/CD19.sup.−/CD14.sup.+ cells.

The invention covers the use of certain classes of lipids including cationic lipids in ex-vivo dendritic cell therapies. The cationic lipids enhance antigen uptake, processing and presentation of the processed antigens by dendritic cells to CD8+ and CD4+ T-cells via the MHC classes I and II presentation pathways respectively. Antigen uptake via cationic lipid by dendritic cells result in significant lowering of the population of the immune suppressive regulatory T cells in the tumors and a significant increase of the tumor targeting cytotoxic T-cells. Loss of regulatory T cells and increase of tumor specific cytotoxic cells are conducive to effective elimination of the tumors.