The disclosure is directed to compositions and methods comprising genetically engineered fibroblasts for inhibiting progression of a cancerous tumor.

The present invention provides methods for preselecting TILs based on PD-1 expression, as well as methods for expanding those preselected PD-1 positive TILs in order to produce therapeutic populations of TILs with enhanced tumor-specific killing capacity (e.g., enhanced cytotoxicity).

Disclosed are antigen binding polypeptides and antigen binding polypeptide complexes (e.g., antibodies and antigen binding fragments thereof) having certain structural features. Also disclosed are polynucleotides and vectors encoding such polypeptides and polypeptide complexes; chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), cells, pharmaceutical compositions and kits containing such polypeptides and polypeptide complexes; and methods of using such polypeptides and polypeptide complexes.

The present disclosure relates to methods for modulating the level of proteins in a subject or in target cells by priming red blood cells with various agents or conditions that modulate the levels of proteins associated with red blood cells and administering the primed red blood cells to a subject. The disclosed methods represent a novel use of red blood cells primed to express a number of proteins, as cell therapies for numerous diseases or disorders.

A method to recover an extracellular vesicle at a high efficiency, including (a) and (b): wherein (a) is mixing (i) an extracellular vesicle-containing sample, (ii) particles on which a substance having an affinity to extracellular vesicle membrane is immobilized, and (iii) a polymer to give a mixture solution containing (i′) target particles bound to the extracellular vesicle via the substance and (ii′) the polymer; and (b) separating the target particles from the mixture solution. The method further includes reducing a viscosity of the mixture solution between (a) and (b). A method for analyzing an extracellular vesicle. A kit having (a) a polymer, (b) a substance having an affinity to the extracellular vesicle membrane, and (c) an enzyme capable of degrading a polymer.

Provided are methods for isolating T-cells with T cell receptors (TCRs) optimized for reactivity to specific peptides and decreased cross-reactivity to non-target peptides. Advantageously, TCRs of the invention can be optimized to target cancer antigens and peptides while having reducing reactivity to healthy cells. Methods of the invention utilize a novel combination of culturing conditions that increase T-cell activation and allow for validation of TCR activity. Culturing conditions of the invention further reduce culturing times generally needed to achieve expanded reactive T-cells. Because of the robust nature of the activation and validation conditions of the present invention, variants of identified TCRs can also be optimized and validated for their response to peptides, including cancer peptides.

The invention relates to a method of isolating a T cell that expresses a T cell receptor capable of binding specifically to an antigen presented by a cancer cell in association with an MR1 molecule. The method comprises the steps of (a) providing a preparation of T cells, (b) contacting the preparation with cancer cells expressing MR1 protein; (c) isolating a T cell that is specifically reactive to said cancer cells. The invention further relates to a method of preparing a T cell preparation expressing select MR1 recognizing T cell receptors from transgene expression vectors, the use of such T cell preparations in treatment of cancer, and to collections of MR1 reactive T cell receptor encoding nucleic acids and cells.

The present invention is targeted towards reinvigorating exhausted Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs) in vitro by co-culturing excised TIL containing tumor fragments with checkpoint inhibitors, stimulating the TILs with other interleukins known to revert T cell exhaustion), and/or inhibiting the effect of regulatory T cells secreted factors (such as IL-10) thereby creating a favorable tumor microenvironment (TME) where exhausted T-cells can expand faster and to higher numbers than currently established TIL expansion protocols.

Disclosed are antigen binding polypeptides and antigen binding polypeptide complexes (e.g., antibodies and antigen binding fragments thereof) having certain structural features. Also disclosed are polynucleotides and vectors encoding such polypeptides and polypeptide complexes; host cells; chimeric antigen receptors (CARs); immune cells; pharmaceutical compositions and kits containing such polypeptides and polypeptide complexes; and methods of using such polypeptides and polypeptide complexes.

A composition and a method for generating clinically safe NK cells derived from non-fully differentiated stem cells are provided. The non-fully differentiated stem cells are co-cultured with endogenous NK cells isolated from adipocyte-containing tissue to generate a high percentage of clinically safe NK cells, where anti-tumor activity of the clinically safe NK cells in vitro is similar to that of endogenous NK cells. Optimized Production of the clinically safe autologous NK cells from stem cells provides platform for treating cancer patients by applying an effective adoptive immunotherapy ranging from the early to terminal stages.