The present invention relates, in part, to methods of generating immune responses in subjects that have a likelihood of developing cancer.

Compositions and methods are provided for preventing or treating neoplastic disease in a mammalian subject. A composition is provided which comprises an enriched immune cell population reactive to a human endogenous retrovirus type E antigen on a tumor cell. A method of treating a neoplastic disease in a mammalian subject is provided which comprises administering to a mammalian subject a composition comprising an enriched immune cell population reactive to a human endogenous retrovirus type E antigen, in an amount effective to reduce or eliminate the neoplastic disease or to prevent its occurrence or recurrence.

Methods of stimulating or enhancing an immune response in a host are disclosed. The methods include contacting a monocyte with 15 kD granulysin thereby producing a monocyte-derived dendritic cell. In one example, the method further includes contacting the monocyte or monocyte-derived dendritic cell with a target antigen, such as a tumor antigen or an autoimmune antigen. In another embodiment, the method includes contacting the monocyte with an additional agent that enhances maturation of dendritic cells or induces immunological tolerance. The methods are of use in vivo, in vitro and ex vivo. In another aspect, the disclosure relates to compositions and methods for the treatment of tumors.

The invention provides in part methods of treating cancers of a specific organ or tissue by administering a composition that is antigenically specific for one or more microbes that are pathogenic in the specific organ or tissue in which the cancer is situated.

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.

A method of therapy for a tumor or other pathology by administering a combination of thermotherapy and immunotherapy optionally combined with gene delivery. The combination therapy beneficially treats the tumor and prevents tumor recurrence, either locally or at a different site, by boosting the patient's immune response both at the time or original therapy and/or for later therapy. With respect to gene delivery, the inventive method may be used in cancer therapy, but is not limited to such use; it will be appreciated that the inventive method may be used for gene delivery in general. The controlled and precise application of thermal energy enhances gene transfer to any cell, whether the cell is a neoplastic cell, a pre-neoplastic cell, or a normal cell.

The present invention relates to tolerogenic mammalian dendritic cells (iDCs) and methods for the production of tolerogenic DCs. In addition, the present invention provides methods for administration of tolerogenic dendritic cells as well as particles containing oligonucleotides to mammalian subjects. Enhanced tolerogenicity in a host can be useful for treating inflammatory and autoimmune related diseases, such as type 1 diabetes.

In one aspect, a method of treating cancer in a mammal is provided. The method comprises administering to the mammal an oncolytic vector that expresses a tumour antigen to which the mammal has a pre-existing immunity. In another aspect, a method of boosting immune response in a mammal having a pre-existing immunity to an antigen is provided comprising intravenous administration to the mammal of a B-cell infecting vector that expresses the antigen.

The invention encompasses the novel class of compounds represented by the Formula (I) below, which are inhibitors of the TC-PTP enzyme. The invention also encompasses pharmaceutical compositions which include the compounds shown above and methods of treating or preventing TC-PTP mediated diseases, including cancer, via their use in the activation of antigen-presenting cells, like dendritic cells, for applications in the immunotherapeutic treatment of diseases. ##STR00001##

A set of target peptides are presented by HLA A*0101, A*0201, A*0301, B*4402, B*2705, B*1402, and B*0702 on the surface of disease cells. They are envisioned to among other things (a) stimulate an immune response to the proliferative disease, e.g., cancer, (b) to function as immunotherapeutics in adoptive T cell therapy or as a vaccine, (c) facilitate antibody recognition of tumor boundaries in surgical pathology samples, (d) act as biomarkers for early detection and/or diagnosis of the disease, and (e) act as targets in the generation antibody-like molecules which recognize the target-peptide/MHC complex.