An integrated sensor and service port for HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) equipment or an HVAC system.

An in vitro microfluidic intestine on-chip is described herein that mimics the structure and at least one function of specific areas of the gastrointestinal system in vivo. In particular, a multicellular, layered, microfluidic intestinal cell culture, which is some embodiments is derived from patient's enteroids-derived cells, is described comprising L cells, allowing for interactions between L cells and gastrointestinal epithelial cells, endothelial cells and immune cells. This in vitro microfluidic system can be used for modeling inflammatory gastrointestinal autoimmune tissue, e.g., diabetes, obesity, intestinal insufficiency and other inflammatory gastrointestinal disorders. These multicellular-layered microfluidic intestine on-chips further allow for comparisons between types of gastrointestinal tissues, e.g., small intestinal duodenum, small intestinal jejunum, small intestinal ileum, large intestinal colon, etc., and between disease states of gastrointestinal tissue, i.e. healthy, pre-disease and diseased areas. Additionally, these microfluidic gut-on-chips allow identification of cells and cellular derived factors driving disease states and drug testing for reducing inflammation.

Methods are provided for generating DLL4-expressing immune cells. The invention also includes cellular compositions of dendritic and T cells produced by these methods. The immune cells of the invention can be used widely as components in many diagnostic and therapeutic systems, including improved vaccines to reduce the risk of graft versus host disease.

Novel MSC stem-cell culture and therapy methods and culture medium compositions for the purpose of inducing, activating, or priming discrete uniform cell phenotypes to selectively promote or suppress inflammation and immunity, yielding polarized, primed, activated, or induced cells used in cell-based therapy.

The present disclosure provides compositions comprising mature dendritic cells loaded with autologous tumor cell lysates for the treatment of liver cancers, such as hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth leading cancer and third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Surgical resection and liver transplantation remain the mainstay of effective therapy for patients with early disease. However, a prevalent problem with HCC is the high likelihood of initial diagnosis at an advanced stage.

This disclosure relates to the combination of soluble ?-glucan and immune suppression-relieving agents that affect the tumor microenvironment. Soluble ?-glucan promotes an immunostimulatory environment, which allows enhanced effectiveness of anti-angiogenics, checkpoint inhibitors including non-tumor targeting antibodies.

Novel MSC stem-cell culture and therapy methods and culture medium compositions for the purpose of inducing, activating, or priming discrete uniform cell phenotypes to selectively promote or suppress inflammation and immunity, yielding polarized, primed, activated, or induced cells used in cell-based therapy.

Compositions, methods of treatment for liver disease such as liver fibrosis, compositions, and methods for the manufacture thereof, comprising a plurality of macrophages derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), wherein the macrophages are polarized to a pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype and/or an anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. Administration reduces fibrogenic gene expression and liver disease associated histological markers. The M1 macrophages express elevated CD80, TNF-? and IL-6. The M2 macrophages express elevated CD206, CCL17, and CCL22.

Disclosed are methods of preparing an isolated population of dendritic cells, isolated populations of dendritic cells prepared by the methods, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the isolated population of dendritic cells. Also disclosed are methods of treating or preventing cancer using the isolated population of dendritic cells or pharmaceutical compositions.

This disclosure relates to the combination of soluble ?-glucan and immune suppression-relieving agents that affect the tumor microenvironment. Soluble ?-glucan promotes an immunostimulatory environment, which allows enhanced effectiveness of anti-angiogenics, checkpoint inhibitors including non-tumor targeting antibodies.