CD83 overexpression on Melan-A/MART-1-specific tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) circumvents the need for CD83 expression on DC.

Analysing antigen loading strategies for DC, we found that the priming capacity of MelanA/HLA-A2-specific autologous CD8+ T cells by lipofected DC was higher compared to electroprated DC.

It was found that lymph nodes that drain sites of mature DC or adjuvant inoculation recruited memory CD8+ T cells.

Monocytes were cultured in serum free medium in the presence of IL-4 and GM-CSF, and concentrated cytokines were added.

A quantitative microarray approach that detects 723 human mature miR (miRBase 10.1, Dec 2007), was used to measure miR expression profile in these cells.

MoDC were stimulated with yeast.

These DC were used in an experiment for identification of antigens recognised by T cells from melanoma patients responding to immunotherapy.

Monocyte-derived and cocktail-matured DC electroporated with a combination of RNAs encoding tumor antigens (MelanA, Mage3, Survivin) and E/L-selectin are currently used in a clinical trial.

These DC are exposed to HIV-1 to examine if this can directly modulate their functions or interfere with their cross-talk.

These DC were matured with inflammatory cytokines and subsequently electroporated with mRNA encoding 6 tumor-associated antigens. They were used for DC-based immmunotherapy of melanoma patients.

These monocytes have been obtained from leukapheresis of tissue from patients with stage III or stage IV melanoma (tissue taken from a surgical resection of a melanotic lesion). They will subsequently be used to generate dendritic cells.

These monocytes were obtained after elutriation of a leukapheresis product (patients with stage III or stage IV melanoma) and are used to obtain dendritic cells from.

These monocyte come from an elutriation process from a metastatic lesion from stage III/IV melanoma patients and will be used for the generation of a vaccine and generation of tumour-lysated loaded DC.

Cells from healthy blood donors are separated into monocytes (and lymphocytes) by elutriation in a closed system (Elutra). [The two most monocyte-rich fractions collected contained > 80% monocytes, viability was > 95%.]

We have efficiently transfected DC with RNA encoding a functional protein (E/L-Selectin). The mouse E/L-S transfected DC, when given i.v., homed to the lymph nodes, whereas non transfected DC home only to the spleen.

We have studied the immuno-physiology of rat and mouse intestinal dendritic cells. We have used a known adjuvant, E. coli heat-labile toxin (Etx) and a potential adjuvant R-848, a small TLR7/8 ligand.

Stimulation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTb)-antigen specific T cells ex-vivo in the presence of anti-IL-10 antibodies results in their increased proliferation and IFN- production.

The moDCs are used in the DERMA-ER-DC 05 trial. They are multipeptide loaded cytokine matured moDC + prior Treg elimination by 3x ONTAK treatment [5µg/kg]. 8 patients are enrolled and receive this substance.

These multipeptide loaded cytokine matured moDC +/- CD40L activation were used for the DERMA-ER-DC 04 trial.

The group completed the measurements of murine dendritic cell subsets and established an in-depth proteomic map of them. These preliminary results show more than 4500 identified proteins in each subset. All of the known markers like CD11c, CD11b, DEC-205, Langerin, etc. were found according to their differential expression pattern.