Efficient clinical-grade γ-retroviral vector purification by high-speed centrifugation for CAR T cell manufacturing.

γ-Retroviral vectors (γ-RV) are powerful tools for gene therapy applications. Current clinical vectors are produced from stable producer cell lines which require minimal further downstream processing, while purification schemes for γ-RV produced by transient transfection have not been thoroughly investigated. We aimed to develop a method to purify transiently produced γ-RV for early clinical studies.

Manufacture of GMP-compliant functional adenovirus-specific T-cell therapy for treatment of post-transplant infectious complications.

Background Aims: In pediatric patients, adenovirus (ADV) reactivation after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo HSCT) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. For patients who do not respond to antiviral drug therapy, a new treatment approach using ADV-specific T cells can present a promising alternative. Here we describe the clinical scale Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-compliant manufacture and characterization of 40 ADV-specific T-cell products, Cytovir ADV, which are currently being tested in a multi-center phase I/IIa clinical trial.

A novel peptide-based pan-influenza A vaccine: a double blind, randomised clinical trial of immunogenicity and safety.

Background: FP-01.1 is a novel synthetic influenza A vaccine consisting of six fluorocarbon-modified 35-mer peptides that encapsulate multiple CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell epitopes and is designed to induce an immune response across a broad population.

Methods: FP-01.

Development of a Bio-PCR Protocol for the Detection of Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni.

A real-time SYBR Green I assay was developed and evaluated as a biological and enzymatic polymerase chain reaction (Bio-PCR) protocol for the detection of Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni. Suppression subtractive hybridization was used to generate a X.

ELISPOT and functional T cell analyses using HLA mono-specific target cells.

Simple T cell assays specific for any chosen HLA class I or class II/peptide combination, are of enormous value in cancer immunotherapy, clinical trials, vaccine and infectious disease research. The reliable measurement of T cell activity can be difficult due to the presence of other alleles on target cells, particularly for the non-HLA-A2 alleles, and the varying baseline characteristics of the different APCs employed. In the absence of pulsing with HLA-A2 restricted peptides, T2 cells are functionally HLA class I and II negative.

Differential protein expression by dendritic cells from atopic and non-atopic individuals after stimulation by the major house dust mite allergen Der p 1.

Background: Dendritic cells (DCs) are sentinels of the immune system and are known to play a key role in allergic responses. However, it is not clear how DCs that have been exposed to an allergen support Th2 type immune responses. It is possible that DCs from atopic individuals are inherently programmed to support allergic disease, or it is the exposure of dendritic cells to allergens that is key to the development of allergic sensitisation.

The effects of trastuzumab on the CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ and CD4+IL17A+ T-cell axis in patients with breast cancer.

In addition to the direct targeting effects on HER2-positive cells, trastuzumab may have a therapeutic role modulating the activity of the cellular immune system in patients with breast cancer. To investigate this further, the balance of T-regulatory (T(reg)), Th17, natural killer (NK) and NK T (NKT) cells before, during and after trastuzumab therapy was investigated. Sequential frequencies of circulating T(reg) cells, Th17 cells, NK and NKT cells were measured in peripheral blood of breast cancer patients and normal controls throughout therapy.

CXCL10-CXCR3 interactions play an important role in the pathogenesis of acute graft-versus-host disease in the skin following allogeneic stem-cell transplantation.

Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) remains a serious complication following allogeneic stem-cell transplantation (SCT), and is mediated by infiltration of alloreactive donor T cells into recipient tissue. Chemokines and their receptors play a central role in controlling the recruitment of T cells into discrete tissue sites, and determine the clinical features of GVHD in murine models. In this study, we have analyzed the serum concentration of molecules that control leukocyte migration in serial samples from 34 patients following allogeneic SCT.

Analysis of proteomic profiles and functional properties of human peripheral blood myeloid dendritic cells, monocyte-derived dendritic cells and the dendritic cell-like KG-1 cells reveals distinct characteristics.

Background: Dendritic cells (DCs) are specialized antigen presenting cells that play a pivotal role in bridging innate and adaptive immune responses. Given the scarcity of peripheral blood myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) investigators have used different model systems for studying DC biology. Monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) and KG-1 cells are routinely used as mDC models, but a thorough comparison of these cells has not yet been carried out, particularly in relation to their proteomes.

Functional HY-specific CD8+ T cells are found in a high proportion of women following pregnancy with a male fetus.

Recent studies have demonstrated that fetal cells can be detected in the maternal circulation during virtually all human pregnancies. These fetal cells can engraft and may be isolated for many decades after pregnancy, leading to a state that may be maintained by the passage of pregnancy-associated progenitor cells. The clinical consequences of fetal cell microchimerism are unclear but may be potentially detrimental or valuable to the mother.

First Report of Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli as a Pathogen of Gramma in Australia.

In March 2001, a foliar bacterial disease was observed on gramma seedlings (Cucurbita moschata L.) cv. Ken Special Hybrid 864 in a commercial nursery in Bowen, north Queensland, Australia.