In certain embodiments, this disclosure relates to conjugates comprising GM-CSF and IL-7 and uses related thereto, e.g., enhancing the adaptive immune system. Typically, the GM-CSF and IL-7 are connected by a polymer linker, e.g., polypeptide. In certain embodiments, the disclosure relates to nucleic acids encoding these polypeptide conjugates, vectors comprising nucleic acid encoding polypeptide conjugates, and protein expression systems comprising these vectors such as infectious viral particles and host cells comprising such nucleic acids.

Provided are polynucleotides and viral vectors, particularly, alphavirus vectors such as Sindbis viral vectors, which encode multiple, e.g., two or more, epitopes of at least one tumor associated antigen in which each epitope is separated by a processing or enzyme cleavage site. The multiple epitopes of the two or more tumor associated antigens encoded by the described polynucleotides and viral vectors may be the same or different. Methods of treating mammalian subjects having a cancer or tumor expressing the tumor associated antigen epitopes are provided, in which the viral vectors encoding the multiple epitopes, as well as other immunostimulatory or immunomodulatory components, generate an anti-cancer or anti-tumor immune response in which high levels of effector T cells increase the survivability of tumored mammalian subjects and result in epitope spreading, thus providing a further enhancement of the immune response.

The present invention provides a modified human cancer cell comprising a recombinant polynucleotide encoding an allele of a human leukocyte antigen gene. The present invention also provides methods for selecting a whole-cell cancer vaccine for a subject having cancer and methods of treating cancer using whole-cell cancer vaccines of the present invention. In addition, the present invention provides a method of determining the HER2 status of a cell. Compositions and kits are also provided herein.

Methods are disclosed for inhibiting the development of a tumor in a subject. The methods include administering to a subject a therapeutically effective amount of a dominant negative tumor necrosis factor (DN-TNF)-α protein and/or a nucleic acid encoding the DN-TNF-α protein. The DN-TNF-α protein and/or a nucleic acid encoding the DN-TNF-α protein can be administered alone or in combination with other agents.

Provided are compositions, optionally pharmaceutical compositions, that include a plurality of exosomes generated from stem cells, optionally ESCs and/or iPSCs, that have been modified to express a granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) polypeptide, optionally a human GM-CSF polypeptide. Also provided are methods for employing the presently disclosed compositions for preventing and/or inhibiting tumor growth in subjects in need thereof, for preventing and/or inhibiting metastases in subject in need thereof, for inducing anti-tumor immune responses in subjects, and uses of the presently disclosed compositions for prevention and/or treatment of tumors and/or cancers and for the preparation of medicaments for treatment of tumors and/or cancers.

Compositions and methods for cancer treatment are disclosed herein. More specifically, the present invention describes an autologous cancer vaccine genetically modified for Furin knockdown and GM-CSF expression. The vaccine described herein attenuates the immunosuppressive activity of TGF-β through the use of bi-functional shRNAs to knock down the expression of furin in cancer cells, and to segment tumor antigen expression, presentation, and processing through expression of the GM-CSF transgene.

Disclosed herein are materials and methods for treating cancer. In particular, compositions for stimulating tumor immunity through modulation of MFG-E8 are provided.

The present invention provides a combination therapy which relies on a small molecule immune stimulator—cyclic-di-nucleotide (CDN)—that activates DCs via a recently discovered cytoplasmic receptor known as STING (Stimulator of Interferon Genes) formulated with allogeneic human tumor cell lines engineered to secrete high amounts of GM-CSF. This combination therapy can provide an ideal synergy of multiple tumor associated antigens, DC recruitment and proliferation, coupled with a potent DC activation stimulus.

Human antibodies which specifically bind to human CTLA-4, and related antibody-based compositions and molecules, are disclosed. Also disclosed are pharmaceutical compositions comprising the human antibodies, and therapeutic and diagnostic methods for using the human antibodies.

The present invention relates to a nucleic acid sequence, comprising or coding for a coding region, encoding at least one peptide or protein comprising a tumour antigen or a fragment, variant or derivative thereof, at least one histone stem-loop and a poly(A) sequence or a polyadenylation signal. Furthermore the present invention provides the use of the nucleic acid for increasing the expression of said encoded peptide or protein. It also discloses its use for the preparation of a pharmaceutical composition, especially a vaccine, e.g. for use in the treatment of cancer or tumour diseases. The present invention further describes a method for increasing the expression of a peptide or protein comprising a tumour antigen or a fragment, variant or derivative thereof, using the nucleic acid comprising or coding for a histone stem-loop and a poly(A) sequence or a polyadenylation signal.