The invention provides compositions and methods for cancer immunotherapy. Specifically, the invention provides an antigen-presenting cell, for example, a dendritic cell that comprises a tumor mitochondrial molecule or a tumor mitochondrial molecule derived from tumor mitochondrial protein lysate or a specific mitochondria derived protein of mitochondrial protein lysate as antigen source.

Dendritic cells containing tumor lysate loaded particles are prepared. The dendritic cells present tumor antigens to elicit the Major Histocompatibility Complex class I pathway and can be used as a vaccine to treat cancer, including ocular melanoma.

This invention provides the field of therapeutics. Most specifically present invention provides methods of generating in vitro engineered dendritic cells conditionally expressing interleukin-12 (IL-12) under the control of a gene expression modulation system in the presence of activating ligand and uses for therapeutic purposes in animals including human.

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 producing a population of CD8+ Tc9 lymphocytes is provided including priming a population of nave CD8+ T cells by contacting the population of nave CD8+ T cells with an immunogenic peptide, in the presence of a Tc9 supportive environment, thereby producing a population of CD8+ Tc9 lymphocytes which secrete IL-9. Purified populations of CD8+Tc9 cells are also disclosed herein, as are method for their use in the treatment of cancer in a subject.

The present invention concerns methods and compositions for treatment of HIV infection using a T20 expression vector, such as that shown in SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO:3. The T20 expression vector may be used in a variety of therapeutic applications, such as ex vivo transfection of dendritic cells to induce a host immune response to HIV, localized transfection in vivo in a gene therapy approach to provide longer term delivery of T20, or in vitro production of T20 peptide. The T20 may be secreted into the circulation to act as a fusion inhibitor of HIV infection, or may induce an endogenous immune response to HIV or HIV-infected cells. Alternatively, a DDD peptide may be incorporated in a fusion protein comprising T20 or another antigenic protein or peptide to enhance the immune response to the protein or peptide.

A polypeptide comprising the sequence of SEQ. ID NO. 2, 3, 4, 7 or 8. The polypeptide may have the sequence of an immunogenic fragment thereof comprising at least eight amino acids, wherein the immunogenic fragment is not one of SEQ. ID NOS. 6 or 11 to 16. The polypeptide may have a sequence having at least 80% sequence identity to the aforementioned polypeptide or immunogenic fragment. The polypeptide is less than 100 amino acids in length and does not comprise the sequence of any of SEQ. ID NOS. 10, 46, 56, 57 or 59 to 62 and does not consist of the sequence of SEQ ID NO. 58. The polypeptide is useful in the treatment or prophylaxis of cancer.

A polypeptide comprising the sequence of SEQ. ID NO. 2, 3, 4, 7 or 8. The polypeptide may have the sequence of an immunogenic fragment thereof comprising at least eight amino acids, wherein the immunogenic fragment is not one of SEQ. ID NOS. 6 or 11 to 16. The polypeptide may have a sequence having at least 80% sequence identity to the aforementioned polypeptide or immunogenic fragment. The polypeptide is less than 100 amino acids in length and does not comprise the sequence of any of SEQ. ID NOS. 10, 46, 56, 57 or 59 to 62 and does not consist of the sequence of SEQ ID NO. 58. The polypeptide is useful in the treatment or prophylaxis of cancer.

Described herein is a reliable method for preparing a potent vaccine useful for immunotherapy comprising the step of cryopreserving a population of cells undergoing immunogenic cell death, and using such cells to activate dendritic cells for use in immunotherapy. In a specific embodiment, the method comprises cryopreserving cancer cells undergoing cell death, which can be used to prepare a pharmaceutical composition for immunotherapy against cancer.

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.