A polypeptide comprising the sequence of SEQ. ID NO. 2, 3, 4, 7 or 8. The polypeptide may have the sequence of an immunogenic fragment thereof comprising at least eight amino acids, wherein the immunogenic fragment is not one of SEQ. ID NOS. 6 or 11 to 16. The polypeptide may have a sequence having at least 80% sequence identity to the aforementioned polypeptide or immunogenic fragment. The polypeptide is less than 100 amino acids in length and does not comprise the sequence of any of SEQ. ID NOS. 10, 46, 56, 57 or 59 to 62 and does not consist of the sequence of SEQ ID NO. 58. The polypeptide is useful in the treatment or prophylaxis of cancer.

A polypeptide comprising the sequence of SEQ. ID NO. 2, 3, 4, 7 or 8. The polypeptide may have the sequence of an immunogenic fragment thereof comprising at least eight amino acids, wherein the immunogenic fragment is not one of SEQ. ID NOS. 6 or 11 to 16. The polypeptide may have a sequence having at least 80% sequence identity to the aforementioned polypeptide or immunogenic fragment. The polypeptide is less than 100 amino acids in length and does not comprise the sequence of any of SEQ. ID NOS. 10, 46, 56, 57 or 59 to 62 and does not consist of the sequence of SEQ ID NO. 58. The polypeptide is useful in the treatment or prophylaxis of cancer.

Provided are engineered cells for adoptive therapy, including NK cells and T cells. Also provided are compositions for engineering and producing the cells, compositions containing the cells, and methods for their administration to subjects. In some aspects, features of the cells and methods provide specificity and/or efficacy. In some embodiments, the cells contain genetically engineered antigen receptors that specifically bind to antigens, such as chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) and costimulatory receptors. In some embodiments, the cells include receptors targeting multiple antigens. In some embodiments, the cells include repression of one or more gene product, for example, by disruption of a gene encoding the gene product. In some embodiments, a gene encoding an antigen recognized by the engineered antigen receptor is disrupted, reducing the likelihood of targeting of the engineered cells.

The invention provides methods for identifying a HLA-B*0702-restricted cryptic epitope in an antigen, as well as methods for increasing the immunogenicity of HLA-B*0702-restricted cryptic epitopes. The HLA-B*0702-restricted cryptic epitopes and their cognate immunogenic epitopes are useful for stimulating an immune reaction against the cryptic epitopes in a subject. Accordingly, the invention further provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising a HLA-B*0702-restricted cryptic epitope or a cognate immunogenic epitope thereof, and vaccination kits comprising such epitopes. The novel materials of the invention are particularly useful for efficiently treating patients having an HLA-B*0702 phenotype.

A polypeptide comprising the sequence of SEQ. ID NO. 2, 3, 4, 7 or 8. The polypeptide may have the sequence of an immunogenic fragment thereof comprising at least eight amino acids, wherein the immunogenic fragment is not one of SEQ. ID NOS. 6 or 11 to 16. The polypeptide may have a sequence having at least 80% sequence identity to the aforementioned polypeptide or immunogenic fragment. The polypeptide is less than 100 amino acids in length and does not comprise the sequence of any of SEQ. ID NOS. 10, 46, 56, 57 or 59 to 62 and does not consist of the sequence of SEQ ID NO. 58. The polypeptide is useful in the treatment or prophylaxis of cancer.

Provided is a dendritic cell therapeutic agent, and more particularly, a composition which include dendritic cells activated by peptides including a telomerase-derived peptide, the composition administered to treat an individual having disease and disorder symptoms which require target-specific treatments. Also, provided is a therapeutic method effective on diseases requiring target-specific immunotherapy. In the method, co-administration of the dendritic cell therapeutic agent and an immunotherapeutic agent including the telomerase-derived peptide results in decreased factors causing one of the disease and disorder symptoms requiring the target-specific treatment, such as cancer, in a tumor disease treatment.

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-R) agonist and/or a tumor necrosis factor alpha receptor (TNF-R) 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 present invention relates to semi-allogeneic antigen-presenting cells into which proteins and/or peptides or RNA or DNA or cDNA, respectively, encoding said proteins and/or peptides which are overexpressed in tumor cells or which are derived from autologous tumor cells or different tumor cells or different tumor cell lines have been introduced. Furthermore the invention relates to methods for the generation of these semi-allogeneic antigen-presenting cells as well as to the use thereof in the treatment of tumor diseases.

The disclosure provides synthetic immune receptors (SIRs), nucleic acids encoding the SIRs, methods of making and using the SIRs, in, for example, adoptive cell therapy.

Screening assays and methods of using same for screening to identify modulator agents or compounds that affect matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) mediated activation of toll-like receptor-2 (TLR-2) are described herein. Pharmaceutical and immunogenic compositions comprising agents or compounds that modulate MMP-2 mediated activation of TLR-2 are also encompassed. Methods for modulating MMP-2 mediated activation of TLR-2 using MMP-2 peptides in pharmaceutical and immunogenic compositions, as well as vaccines, are also envisioned. Melanoma is an exemplary tumor type that expresses MMP-2 and for which such pharmaceutical and immunogenic compositions, as well as vaccines, would confer benefit to patients. Also encompassed are methods for reducing MMP-2 mediated activation of TLR-2 and downstream signaling therefrom so as to achieve more effective T cell responses to MMP-2 expressing tumors.