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.

The disclosure generally relates to a method for fabrication of extracellular vesicles derived from antigen-presenting cells engineered to create allospecific tolerance for tissue transplantation. The display of both donor MHCs and co-inhibitory receptors on the same EV creates a synergistic effect on host T cells, preventing activation of nave T cells against a foreign graft and inducing anergy of previously activated anti-graft T cells. Embodiments of the disclosure demonstrate an allospecific immunomodulatory strategy to avert the need for chronic, toxic immunosuppression in reconstructive transplantation and VCA. One embodiment includes a novel cell and virus-free system to display diverse alloantigens with tolerance-inducing stimuli.

The present invention provides a novel method to isolate and expand pure neural stem cells (NSCs) from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of premature babies with Intraventricular haemorrhage, which produces a population enriched in NSC-CSF cells free of contaminating fibroblasts and other cell types. The present invention also includes substantially pure populations of CSF-NSC cells, and their use to treat and prevent diseases and injuries, including Intraventricular haemorrhage and post-hemorrhage hydrocephalus/developmental deficits.

Provided is a chimeric promoter with a high transcriptional activity in T-cells. The chimeric promoter consists of an enhancer sDTS and a promoter operably linked to the enhancer. The sequence of the enhancer is as shown in SEQ ID NO: 1. The enhancer is located at the 5 or 3 terminus of the promoter. Also provided are nucleic acid constructs, vectors and T-cells comprising the chimeric promoter. The chimeric promoter can drive the efficient expression of exogenous genes in T-cells.

Provided are methods for activating an antigen-presenting cell and eliciting an immune response by inducing an inducible pattern recognition receptor adapter, or adapter fragment, and CD40 activity. Also provided are nucleic acid compositions comprising sequences coding for chimeric proteins that include an inducible CD40 peptide and an inducible pattern recognition receptor adapter or adapter fragment.

Disclosed in the present invention is an application of soluble protein BAFF in B cell in-vitro culture and proliferation. Peptide expressed by secretory BAFF peptide in the present invention can be effectively secreted out of cells to generate corresponding bioactivity. During the process of culture, a cell line in the present invention can continuously secrete water-soluble BAFF protein having bioactivity, the water-soluble BAFF protein served as tool cells are co-cultured with B cells, and in-vitro proliferation and antigen presentation effects of human B cells can be effectively improved.

The invention relates to a method for expanding antigen-specific lymphocytes by culturing samples from a subject containing lymphocytes or lymphocytes derived from the sample in the presence of one or more peptides comprising antigens and/or in the presence of an antigen presenting cell presenting antigens. Also disclosed is the use of such method for improving personalized immunotherapy (e.g., tumor immunotherapy).

Provided is a method for isolating and proliferating autologous cancer antigen-specific CD8.sup.+T cells, and more particularly, a method for selecting an epitope recognized by CD8.sup.+ T cells from autologous cancer antigens present in blood of individual cancer patients; and isolating autologous cancer antigen-specific CD8.sup.+ T cells by using a peptide of the selected epitope, and a method of massively proliferating CD8.sup.+ T cells by using the method. According to the present invention, it is possible to isolate autologous cancer antigen-specific CD8.sup.+ T cells by using the peptide of the CD8 T cell epitope of the autologous cancer antigen present in blood of individual cancer patients instead of a heterologous antigen. Therefore, by using T cells recognizing the autologous cancer antigen, it is possible to effectively select and eliminate cancer cells derived from the cancer patient's own cells. Thus, T cells can be applied to treatment and alleviation of cancer diseases without side effects.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for easily producing an antigen-specific B cell population comprising IgG-positive B cells specific to a specific antigen. The present invention provides a method for producing a B cell population, comprising culturing B cells, in which the expression of a Bach2 gene has been increased, in the presence of a means for acting on CD40 and/or a BAFF receptor.

Provided herein are methods of expanding B cells, and in particularly B10 cells capable of producing IL-10, ex vivo. The methods include incubation of harvested B cells in the presence of IL-21. Compositions comprising the ex vivo expanded B cells and methods of using the expanded B cell-containing compositions to treat diseases or conditions are also provided. Methods of assessing B10 cell function in a subject are also provided.