We found that the cooperation between IFNalpha,beta and Flt3L (FL) plays an important role in the defense against Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in neonates. Treatment of neonatal mice with recombinant IFNalpha has a short-term, FL-independent and a long-term, FL-dependent protective effect against HSV-1. In mice lacking FL, neonatal resistance against HSV-1 is very low and DC numbers in the spleen are reduced. In C57BL/6 mice, treatment with rIFNalpha at birth induced both FL and plasmacytoid DC (pDC) that resulted in enhanced resistance against HSV-...

Three patients were enrolled in a clinical trial of a DC vaccine administered into irradiated tumours in RCC. However only this one patient received the vaccine due to cancer progression in the other two patients. The DC were labelled with 111In. The following patients will receive DC labelled with Endorem and the vaccine will be imaged with MRI. The patient treated is in complete remission 6 months after treatment.

These HIV strains were used to infect Human Hemato-Lymphoid System Rag2gc-/- mice to closely resemble HIV infection in humans.

We found that CCR6–deficient (CCR6-KO) mice were resistant to induction of EAE but became susceptible when transferred with small number of CCR6-sufficient T cells. CCR6 was found to be required on a first wave of TH-17 cells that entered the CNS through the choroid plexus epithelial cells, which constitutively expressed CCL20 in both mice and humans.

Experiments using these mice and IL-7R blocking antibody were carried out on the phases of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses.

CX3CR1 GFP mice, in which bmDC are green fluorescent (GFP), were analyzed according to their bmDC localization. It was found that the cells were organized in unique clusters, mainly located in the endosteum of the BM. These DC co-localize with B cells and these clusters are occupying architecturally definable niches and are reminiscent to the niches that were found in the cranial BM parenchyma.

These HIV strains were used to infect Human Hemato-Lymphoid System Rag2gc-/- mice to closely resemble HIV infection in humans.

These animals were used to test the combined effects of these cytokines on DC development in vivo.

Three groups of end stage cervical cancer patients (in total N=35) were subcutaneously vaccinated with HPV16 E6 combined with or separated from HPV16 E7 overlapping long peptides in Montanide ISA-51 adjuvant, 4 times at three week intervals. Group 1 received 300 microgram per peptide at a single site, group 2 received 100 microgram per peptide of the E6 peptides in one limb, and 300 microgram per peptide of the E7 peptides in a second limb. Group 3 received separate injections of E6 and E7 peptides, each at a dose of 50 micrograms per peptide. The primary endpo...

These mice were generated with the intention to elucidate in vivo DC developmental regions in steady state and inflammation in situ.

We found a novel M-CSF dependent DC developmental pathway that is independent of Flt3L. These DC have unique characteristics and precursor origin. The cells can be found in vivo in Flt3L gene deleted (-/-) mice injected with recombinant M-CSF.

The mice were generated with the intention to elucidate in vivo DC developmental regions in steady state and inflammation in situ.

We found that the cooperation between IFNalpha,beta and Flt3L (FL) plays an important role in the defense against Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in neonates. Treatment of neonatal mice with recombinant IFNalpha has a short-term, FL-independent and a long-term, FL-dependent protective effect against HSV-1. In mice lacking FL, neonatal resistance against HSV-1 is very low and DC numbers in the spleen are reduced. The treatment of these mice with rIFNalpha at day 6 resulted in an increased resistance against infection with HSV-1 at day 7. In C57BL/6 mice, tr...

DCs with blocked beta-glucan, mannan and chitin receptors were exposed to these fungi.

This patient has received 6 vaccines with peptide only in a randomized trial to receive immunizations either with I3 DC (DC generated with interferon-beta and interleukin-3) or with G4 DC (DC generated with GM-CSF and IL-4). The patient received a sequence of six immunizations every two weeks, consisting of autologous dendritic cells loaded with the 8 HLA-A2 restricted peptides and MAGE.3-DP4 in Cycle 1. In Cycle 2, the patient received a sequence of three immunizations every six weeks, consisting of autologous dendritic cells loaded with the 8 HLA-A2 restric...

Blood samples and tumour biopsies will be taken from these newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients in order to carry out a preclinical study in which circulating tumour-specific CD8+ T-cells will be detected in their blood. In order to obtain the blood samples and tumour biopsies, a file has been submitted to the Ethics Committee of the Erasme Hospital and has been recently approved.

The patients are immunized with autologous DC loaded with KLH, as immunological tracer, and an allogeneic peptidome (i.e. natural tumour peptides, NTPs), obtained from melanoma cell line SK-Mel24.

These patients undergo leukapheresis and later intradermal administration of the produced vaccine (V administrations of autologous dendritic cells generated from adherent peripheral blood monocytes and subject to quality controls - with eventual additional ones depending on clinical outcome).

An HLA-A2 positive healthy donor underwent leukapheresis with the aim to generate monocyte derived DC under GMP conditions.

The patients are immunized with autologous DC loaded with KLH, as immunological tracer, and an allogeneic peptidome (i.e. natural tumour peptides, NTPs), obtained from melanoma cell line SK-Mel24.