The present application contemplates methods of screening therapeutic agents for treating cancer comprising co-culturing immune cells and tumor cells isolated from a subject under conditions that allow the immune cells and the tumor cells to form a cancer spheroid. The cancer spheroid may then be exposed to at least one therapeutic agent, and the responsiveness of the tumor cells the spheroid to the therapeutic agent may be measured.

A previously unrecognized fundamental property of α.sub.1PI is to regulate the phenotypic composition of circulating and tissue-associated cells derived from hematopoietic stem cells. The present invention comprises screening for various unmodified and modified α.sub.1PI's which are useful in the treatment of abnormalities in the number of cells of myeloid or lymphoid lineage that are associated with HIV-1 infection, microbial infection, leukemia, solid tumor cancers, atherosclerosis, autoimmunity, stem cell transplantation, organ transplantation, and other diseases affected by cells of the immune system. The interaction of α.sub.1PI with its receptors, HLE.sub.cs and LRP, influences the level of cells of different lineages. Genetic and proteolytic modification of α.sub.1PI is used to target these receptors to increase or decrease specific cell populations, as needed, in the various disease states.

The invention relates to methods to evaluate in one single assay the biocompatibility of materials based on the simultaneous determination of the phagocytosis, cell activation and cell death produced by said materials, preferably, in peripheral blood or other human cells and proximal fluids. The invention also relates to a kit to perform the method of the invention.

The present invention provides compounds and methods for the treatment of LFA-1 mediated diseases. In particular, LFA-1 antagonists are described herein and these antagonists are used in the treatment of LFA-1 mediated diseases. One aspect of the invention provides for diagnosis of an LFA-1 mediated disease and administration of a LFA-1 antagonist, after the patient is diagnosed with a LFA-1 mediated disease. In some embodiments, the LFA-1 mediated diseases treated are dry eye disorders. Also provided herein are methods for identifying compounds which are LFA-1 antagonists.

The inventors assessed in locally advanced rectal cancer whether a diagnostic biopsy-adapted Immunoscore (ISg) could predict response to neoadjuvant treatment (nT) and better define patients eligible to an organ preservation strategy (“Watch-and-Wait”). The inventors showed that IS.sub.B was an independent parameter, more informative than pre- (P<0.001) and post-nT (P<0.05) imaging to predict disease-free survival. IS.sub.B combined with imaging post-nT discriminated very good responders that could benefit from organ preservation strategy. Accordingly, the present invention relates to methods for predicting the recurrence and/or death of patients suffering from a solid cancer after preoperative adjuvant therapies.

Disclosed is a method for selecting a cancer treatment regimen for a subject.

Disclosed are a natural killer (NK) cell expressing an anti-cotinine chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) specifically binding to cotinine, and a cell therapeutic agent containing the NK cell. The CAR-expressing NK cell which specifically binds cotinine, can effectively move to tumor tissue, regardless of the kind of cancer, depending on the binding substance bound to cotinine. Therefore, the natural killer cell can be usefully employed as a gene therapy exhibiting a highly efficient anticancer effect.

A method for screening a therapeutic drug used for treating psoriasis includes the steps of: (a) isolating and separating fresh peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC); (b) activating the peripheral blood mononuclear cells with a stimulant to cause the cells to produce IFN-γ and RANTES; (c) administering the plurality of candidate drugs to the activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells; (d) detecting expression levels of IFN-γ and RANTES in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells administered with the plurality of candidate drugs; (e) recognizing and removing a disqualified drug from the plurality of candidate drugs according to a variation degree of the expression level of RANTES; and (f) screening the therapeutic drug from the plurality of the candidate drugs excluding the disqualified drug according to the expression level of IFN-γ.

The invention is directed to a Conjugate for labelling a target moiety on a cell, characterized by general formula (II): X.sub.o-P-Y.sub.m, with Y: MHC-complex targeting TCR molecules, P: enzymatically degradable spacer, X: detection moiety, o: integer between 5 and 25, m: integer between 2 and 1000, wherein X and P; P and Y are covalently bound to each other and Y is bound to P via the C-terminus.

The invention relates to the use in vitro of a kit for diagnostics, more particularly therapy-accompanying diagnostics, relating to a transplant and/or for diagnostics, more particularly therapy-accompanying diagnostics, relating to an autoimmune disease and/or for diagnostics, more particularly therapy-accompanying diagnostics, relating to a tumor disease and/or for diagnostics, more particularly therapy-accompanying diagnostics, relating to a vaccination, wherein the kit has the following components: a blood collection container, a blood collection set or blood collection system including a blood collection container, a nutrient medium for blood, and at least one activator for activating blood cells, more particularly immune cells, and/or at least one inhibitor for inhibiting blood cells, more particularly immune cells, and/or at least one modulator for modulating blood cells, more particularly immune cells.

The invention further relates to the use in vitro of a method for diagnostics in transplants and/or autoimmune diseases and/or tumor diseases and/or vaccinations, to a messenger-substance-containing supernatant for use in vitro in diagnostics in transplants and/or autoimmune diseases and/or tumor diseases and/or vaccinations, and to a combination for use in diagnostics in transplants and/or autoimmune diseases and/or tumor diseases and/or vaccinations.