Tag: <span>immunotherapy</span>

Humans have enjoyed large-scale protection against many infectious and contagious diseases since 1796, when Edward Jenner first introduced a vaccination against smallpox by an active immunization technique. Vaccination has proved itself to be the most successful solution for preventing the occurrence of many infectious diseases that previously caused serious illnesses, post-recovery ailments, and even death (e.g., smallpox, diphtheria)…

Biologics Production

The aim of personalized medicine is to provide the customized treatment likely to work best for each individual. A narrow interpretation of the definition attributes the appropriate treatment to be based on the patient’s molecular phenotype. A broader interpretation includes cell-based therapies that are derived from a patient’s own cells, or cells from a related or tissue-matched donor. Basic research findings contributing to the knowledge of the molecular and cellular basis of immune-mediated control of cancer and infectious diseases have created opportunities to develop new forms of cell-based vaccination for cancer and chronic infections like HIV. Cell therapy laboratories have developed from their roots in bone marrow transplantation and blood banking into what can now be described as cellular engineering laboratories where cells can be isolated, enriched, transduced, activated, expanded and otherwise manipulated in ways to change or enhance the function of in vivo-derived cells for eventual reinfusion…

Cell & Gene Therapy

Chronic viral infections are major healthcare issues. Hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human papilloma virus (HPV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are prime examples of viruses which cause chronic infections. HBV is a member of a family of DNA viruses that primarily infect liver cells which can lead to acute or chronic liver disease. Approximately 3–5% of adults and 90% of infants infected by HBV become chronic carriers of the virus. More than 350 million people worldwide are chronically infected by HBV. Chronic HBV carriers have a significant probability of developing cirrhosis of the liver and hepatocellular carcinoma. There are effective prophylactic vaccines for HBV infection, but these have proven ineffective against chronic infections. Antiviral agents are effective in controlling the viremia, but the emergence of mutant strains of the virus is a cause for concern…

Baculovirus Expression Technology

The K562 cell line is a human myelogenous leukemic cell which has been used by several groups, including ours, as a vehicle for cell-based vaccines and immuno-gene therapies. The attractiveness of K562 cells is the ease with which they can be cultured, plus the fact that they express very low levels of MHC proteins. Low MHC expression facilitates the use of these cells in patients with different MHC backgrounds, and it may improve the in vivo survival of the cells by delaying immune rejection. Based largely on these properties, we have been developing the K562 cell line as a universal platform for expressing cytokines, tumor antigens, and other immuno-modulating proteins…

Biologics Production

We have developed a procedure for large-scale enrichment, growth and harvesting of T cells suitable for adoptive immunotherapy. In two recently completed clinical trials, we investigated the feasibility of immune reconstitution in patients with HIV infection, or with relapsed/refractory Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) following infusions of autologous activated CD4+ T cells or CD4+/CD8+ T cells. Autologous T cells were activated via CD3/CD28 stimulation, ex vivo, and were then reinfused…

Cell & Gene Therapy