We describe the generation of monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDC) from leukapheresis products using the CliniMACS system from Miltenyi Biotec. In a clinical setting, the method turned out to be feasible for the generation of clinical-grade MoDC from patients with metastatic ren ...

Dendritic cells (DC) can either be generated from progenitors such as stem cells or CD 14+ monocytes, or isolated directly from the blood. Blood-derived DC are present as at least two distinct populations-myeloid and plasmacytoid DC. Here we describe methods for the clinical grade isolation of ...

Dendritic cells (DC) are the most powerful antigen-presenting cells that induce and maintain primary immune responses in vitro and in vivo. The development of protocols for the ex vivo generation of DC provided a rationale to design and develop DC-based vaccination studies for the treatment ...

Poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) polymers have been used for the production of biodegradable medical sutures and for controlled drug release for decades. Useful characteristics such as in vivo biodegradability, an adjustable release profile, and the very high encapsulat ...

In recent years the development of tumor-specific recombinant antibodies fused to immunostimulatory cytokines such as interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-12 (IL-12), and granulocyte/mac rophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) has provided a promising novel approach to ...

Targeted cancer therapy is a promising strategy for the treatment of this disease. In this approach, a cytotoxic agent (CA), such as a drug or a radionuclide, is attached, usually covalently, to a “ targeting” vehicle (TV), which in turn is capable of recognizing specific receptor motifs on the surface of ...

Specific targeting of liposome-formulated cytotoxic drugs or antigens to receptors expressed selectively on target cells represents an effective strategy for increasing the pharmacological efficacy of the delivered molecules. We have developed a feasible technique to sel ...

We describe our experience with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) treatment in fibrotic conditions and our results and experience with the effect of IVIg therapy to prevent metastases in malignancy. We have delineated the mechanisms by which IVIg can affect atherosclerosis (i.e., e ...

The critical role of costimulatory signals in T-cell activation and the complexity of T-cell costimulatory pathways involved make a detailed understanding of this system a challenging task. By taking advantage of the unique chemical properties of CFSE, we and others have developed an in vi ...

Graft-mediated antileukemia (GVL) activity is a major factor contributing to the success of allogeneic hematopoietic stem transplantation (aHCT). Recent advances have permitted the establishment of GVL activity without the need for a myeloablative conditioning regimen, th ...

Bone-marrow transplantation is an approved curative treatment for many hemato- and oncologic diseases. Nevertheless, the severe acute clinical course of graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic bone-marrow transplantation is frequently fatal, and is to date not curable. A ...

Adoptive dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy represents a promising approach to overcome peripheral tolerance against autologous tumor antigens and to maintain protective antitumor immunity. The translation of successful preclinical studies, however, appears to ...

Graft-vs-host (GVH) alloresponses mediated by delayed donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI) can occur in the absence of GVHD (graft-vs-host disease). These GVH responses are confined to the lymphohematopoietic system and mediate graft-vs-leukemia (GVL) reactions without causing G ...

The development of protocols to induce a state of durable mixed allogeneic hematopoietic chimerism to confer robust donor-specific transplant tolerance has been a major focus of the transplant community for the past decade. High levels of mixed allogeneic hematopoietic chimerism a ...

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) is the treatment of choice for many malignant diseases. It is recognized that the curative potential of allo-SCT relates closely to the immune advantage conferred by allogeneic T-lymphocytes. In allo-SCT donor T-lymp ...

Leukocyte migration is a crucial component of defense against many infections and in the pathogenesis of multiple inflammatory disorders. Therefore, the elucidation of the mechanisms responsible for leukocyte recruitment is critical for the development of novel therapeutic a ...

Dictyostelium discoideum are simple eukaryotic amoebas that when starved of a food source have the remarkable ability to spontaneously aggregate and differentiate to form a cluster of spores on top of a stalk of vacuolated cells (see Fig. 1 and ref. 1). The process of aggregation, although quite f ...

The quantification of cell migration within three-dimensional (3D) extracellular matrix has become an important tool to investigate how cells integrate molecular events into higher-order adhesion and positioning within the tissue. Because most processes in vivo occur within 3D ...

Integrin engagement by natural ligands or specific antibodies (Abs) initiates a series of intracellular signaling events that are important for regulating different cell functions, including migration, adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and specif ...

The development of both microscopic and flow cytometry techniques has allowed investigators to examine the individual behavior of migratory cells under many different conditions, such as inflammation, invasion and metastasis, normal recirculation of blood cells, and so forth. C ...