Disclosed are means, methods and compositions of matter useful for induction of immunological responses towards tumor endothelial cells. In one embodiment the invention teaches fusion of dendritic cells and cells resembling tumor endothelial cells and administration of such chimeric cells as an immunotherapy for stimulation of tumor endothelial cell destruction. In other embodiments pluripotent stem cells are utilized to generate dendritic cells, wherein said dendritic cells are fused with pluripotent stem cell derived endothelial cells created in a manner to resemble tumor endothelial cells.

Disclosed are methods, devices, and techniques useful for enhancing function of an organ or cellular graft through photoceutical manipulation. In one embodiment a hematopoietic graft is treated with one or more wavelengths of low level laser irradiation at a sufficient energy to enhance homing and engraftment. In another embodiment the recipient long bones are treated with one or more wavelengths of low level laser irradiation at a sufficient energy to enhance chemoattraction and growth factor secretion on recipient stromal cells. Application of the invention includes areas of cellular transplants such as islet and hepatic cell grafts.

The present invention relates to methods for making in vitro retinal cultures, tissue, or retinal organoids, from pluripotent cells as well as the improved synthetic retinal tissue and retinal organoids themselves. It also relates to retinal organoids that replicate in vitro many characteristics of the retina (e.g., human or mammalian), and methods of using this retinal organoid to study disease and to identify therapeutic agents for the treatment of retinal diseases and disorders.

Provided herein are methods of treating cancer in a human subject comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of CYNK cells to the subject so as thereby to provide an effective treatment of the cancer in the subject. The CYNK cells can be placental-derived natural killer (NK) cells or placental CD34+ cell-derived natural killer (NK) cells. The cancers to be treated include multiple myeloma and acute myeloid leukemia. The present invention also provides compositions comprising CYNK cells for the treatment of multiple myeloma and acute myeloid leukemia and methods of their use.

In one aspect, the present invention provides, for example, an improved method for identifying an epitope on a protein, comprising the following steps: (A) contacting a major histocompatibility complex (MHC molecule)-expressing cell differentiated from a stem cell or a progenitor cell derived therefrom with a target protein; (B) isolating a complex of a peptide contained in the target protein and the MHC molecule from the MHC molecule-expressing cell; and (C) eluting the peptide from the complex and identifying the peptide.

This invention provides methods to prepare and use immunostimulatory cells for enhancing an immune response. The invention provides a method for preparing mature dendritic cells (DCs), comprising the sequential steps of: (a) signaling isolated immature dendritic cells (iDCs) with a first signal comprising an interferon gamma receptor (IFN-γR) agonist and/or a tumor necrosis factor alpha receptor (TNF-αR) agonist to produce signaled dendritic cells; and (b) signaling said signaled dendritic cells with a second transient signal comprising an effective amount of a CD40 agonist to produce CCR7.sup.+ mature dendritic cells. Also provided by this invention are enriched populations of dendritic cells prepared by the methods of the invention. Such dendritic cells have enhanced immunostimulatory properties and increased IL-12 secretion and/or decreased IL-10 secretion. CD40 signaling can be initiated by one or more of polypeptide translated from an exogenous polynucleotide encoding CD40L (e.g., mRNA or DNA), an agonistic antibody to CD40 receptor or by CD40 ligand polypeptide. The enriched populations can be further modified by the administration of an immunogen to the DC. The DC will take up and process the immunogen on its cell surface.

The invention relates in certain embodiments to a method for generating dendritic cells by employing temperatures below 37° C. during the development of progenitor cells and immature dendritic cells. In some embodiments the invention relates to populations of dendritic cells and its use.

Disclosed herein are new methods of producing a novel line of dendritic cells. The method comprises subjecting a sample of hematopoietic stem/precursor cells to a first feeder culture system that is supplemented with a first set of factors and a second feeder culture system supplemented with a second group of factors. The disclosure also pertains to new cell types that may be used as cancer immunotherapy.

The invention provides a quiescent stem cell having the capacity to differentiate into ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm, and which does not express cell surface markers including MHC class I, MHC class II, CD44, CD45, CD13, CD34, CD49c, CD73, CD105 and CD90. The invention further provides a proliferative stem cell, which expresses genes including Oct-4, Nanog, Sox2, GDF3, P16INK4, BMI, Notch, HDAC4, TERT, Rex-1 and TWIST but does not express cell surface markers including MHC class I, MHC class II, CD44, CD45, CD13, CD34, CD49c, CD73, CD105 and CD90. The cells of the invention can be isolated from adult mammals, have embryonic cell characteristics, and can form embryoid bodies. Methods for obtaining the stem cells, as well as methods of treating diseases and the differentiated stem cells, are also provided.

The present invention provides methods of preparing a population of activated T cells by co-culturing T cells with dendritic cells loaded with a plurality of tumor antigen peptides. Also provided are methods of treating cancer in an individual using the activated T cells, pharmaceutical compositions and kits for cell-based cancer immunotherapy.