Provided herein are oligomeric reagents, including oligomeric reagents of streptavidin or a streptavidin mutein, and compositions thereof and methods for manufacturing oligomeric reagents, including methods for reliably manufacturing oligomeric particle reagents of a desired size. In some cases, the reagents are oligomeric particle reagents containing a plurality of binding sites for agents, and thus the one or more agents are multimerized by reversibly binding to the oligomeric particle reagent, e.g., thereby creating a multimerized oligomeric particle reagent, having stimulatory agents multimerized thereon. Also provided are methods for using the oligomeric reagents for incubation or culturing, such as to induce stimulation of expansion (proliferation), activation, costimulation and/or survival, of a composition of cells such as a population of lymphocytes. In some aspects, the disclosure provides methods and reagents for the stimulation, e.g., of expansion (proliferation), survival or persistence, activation, costimulation, or other effect, of cell populations that involve binding of agents to a molecule on the surface of the cells, thereby providing one or more signals to the cells.

Pre-conditioning a vaccine site with a potent recall antigen such as tetanus/diphtheria (Td) toxoid can significantly improve the lymph node homing and efficacy of tumor antigen-specific DC vaccines. Patients given Td had enhanced DC migration bilaterally and significantly improved survival. In mice, Td pre-conditioning also enhanced bilateral DC migration and suppressed tumor growth in a manner dependent on the chemokines CCL3 and CCL21 and Td-activated CD4.sup.+ T cells. Interference with any component of this axis markedly reduced Td-mediated DC migration and antitumor responses. Our clinical studies and corroborating investigations in mice suggest that pre-conditioning with a potent recall antigen represents a viable strategy to increase DC homing to lymph nodes and improve antitumor immunotherapy.

Pre-conditioning a vaccine site with a potent recall antigen such as tetanus/diphtheria (Td) toxoid can significantly improve the lymph node homing and efficacy of tumor antigen-specific DC vaccines. Patients given Td had enhanced DC migration bilaterally and significantly improved survival. In mice, Td pre-conditioning also enhanced bilateral DC migration and suppressed tumor growth in a manner dependent on the chemokines CCL3 and CCL21 and Td-activated CD4.sup.+ T cells. Interference with any component of this axis markedly reduced Td-mediated DC migration and antitumor responses. Our clinical studies and corroborating investigations in mice suggest that pre-conditioning with a potent recall antigen represents a viable strategy to increase DC homing to lymph nodes and improve antitumor immunotherapy.