Improving HIV Outgrowth by Optimizing Cell-Culture Conditions and Supplementing With Retinoic Acid.

The persistence of replication-competent HIV reservoirs in people living with HIV (PLWH) receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a barrier to cure. Therefore, their accurate quantification is essential for evaluating the efficacy of new therapeutic interventions and orienting the decision to interrupt ART. Quantitative viral outgrowth assays (QVOAs) represent the "" for measuring the size of replication-competent HIV reservoirs.

Mechanism and function of monoclonal antibodies targeting siglec-15 for therapeutic inhibition of osteoclastic bone resorption.

The use of monoclonal antibodies to target functionally important cell-surface proteins on bone-resorbing osteoclasts represents a promising approach for treatment of cancer-associated bone loss and other skeletal pathologies. Previously, we identified Siglec-15, a little studied sialic acid-binding receptor, as a candidate target that is highly up-regulated during osteoclast differentiation induced by the cytokine receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL). In this report, we confirm that Siglec-15 is localized to the plasma membrane where it can be targeted by monoclonal antibodies to inhibit differentiation of functional osteoclasts in vitro.

Development of immunomodulatory six base-length non-CpG motif oligonucleotides for cancer vaccination.

We have previously described a novel family of immunomodulatory synthetic oligonucleotides characterized by a phosphodiester backbone, a length of six bases and a 5'G3xG23' sequence, where x is A, C, G or T. In the present study, we have evaluated whether these 5'G3xG23' oligonucleotides possess additional activities essential for adequate cancer vaccination. Immunization for the treatment of cancer requires an adjuvant, a source of tumor-associated antigen(s), for example apoptotic cancer cells, and a way to overcome the escape of tumor cells from the immune system, for example the up-regulation of Fas ligand (FasL) on the surface of cancer cells.

Development of short non-CpG phosphodiester oligonucleotides as immune stimulatory agents.

We have previously reported that DNA isolated from Mycobacterium phlei (M. phlei) stimulates the synthesis of cytokines by monocytes and macrophages independently of the presence of unmethylated CpG motifs. Oligonucleotides as small as five to six bases isolated from M.