DC-STUDIO is a bioinformatics environment enabling the interrogation of DC genomics experiments according to a pathway-based logic. It is integrated with DC-BASE.

This platform with its enhanced GMP facilities for production of clinical-grade DC is established in Erlangen DE (P6, Schuler / Schuler-Thurner). However, later it was decided to seek a licence for the production of GMP-grade mRNA that will be used for the (revised) multi-centre clinical trial.

We have developed immunological techniques for monitoring of tumour antigen specific CD4+ T cell responses. We set an in vitro system able to detect fona fide in vivo primed CD4+ T cells. Purified CD4+ T cells are first stimulated in vitro once in the presence peptides, previously identified as containing naturally processed epitopes on tumour-associated antigens. After two weeks, proliferation and cytokine secretion (IFN-?, IL-5, IL-4, IL-2, TNF-?, IL-10, TGF-?, IL-17, granzyme and perforin) are tested. To estimate the frequency of antigen specific CD4+ T cell we us...

"The ArrayExpress Tab2MAGE package consists of a set of scripts and modules which can read in microarray experiment annotation in defined spreadsheet formats, combine it with a set of experiment data files, and output the result in MAGE-ML format. Tools are included for validation of these spreadsheet documents, and automation of the entire process. This package can handle two distinct spreadsheet formats: MAGE-TAB, the new community-designed spreadsheet format for microarray data representation and interchange, and the eponymous Tab2MAGE, an older, simpler format u...

Real time and immunohistochemistry analysis was performed in a study to evaluate whether iNOS can serve as a prognostic factor in stage III melanoma survival. The analysis showed that both iNOS and COX-2 alone significantly predicted OS. The BRAF/NRAS mutation status did not significantly differ between patient groups, although iNOS significantly correlated with BRAF mutation frequency. Furthermore, iNOS and COX-2 were significantly linked to a number of metastatic lymph nodes. However, iNOS maintained its statistical significance together with a number of lymph node...

DC-PathEdit is a software based on PathVisio (http://www.pathvisio.org) created for the graphical representation of the pathways and for the establishment of annotations and other properties. It is used as an intermediate step towards the creation of a complete data model of the DC-ATLAS pathways, as it can represent them graphically and also annotate them using a controlled vocabulary.

The method is about transfecting CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells with mRNA encoding recombinant immunoreceptors for use in the adoptive immunotherapy of cancer. CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells were efficiently transfected with immunoreceptors specific for ErbB2 and CEA. The immunoreceptor expression was transient with half-maximal expression at day 2 and no detectable immunoreceptor expression at day 9 after electroporation. Opposed to standard procedures using retroviral gene transduction to constitutively express immunoreceptors in T cells, transient immunoreceptor expressi...

Using MAGE-A3 as a model antigen we established a functional read-out system by transfection of CD4 T cells with RNA encoding T cell receptors recognizing MHC DP4 restricted MAGE-A3 epitopes.

We have compiled and evaluated all published information on clinical trials with DC worldwide. Questionnaires to all authors concerning follow-up of their published patients are about to be sent out. This database will be made available for all DC-THERA participants and will serve as a basis for a critical report on the role of DC based immunotherapy in cancer 2009.

A Zeiss LSM 510 confocal microscope is available for use in the lab.

We have expertise in western blotting. Western blot was used, for instance, for the demonstration of protein kinase R phosphorylation on transduction.

We have knowhow on ELISPOT analysis of long peptide vaccines.

Our lab has expertise about ELISPOT analyses from the long peptide trial in end stage cervical carnoma, resected cervical carcinoma and VIN III patients.

An Elispot assay was applied in the establishment of immunomonitoring vaccination trials with RNA transfected DC by using overlapping peptides.

We have know-how about performing LDA assays. We have, for instance, monitored vaccine induced T cell responses for the two clinical trials. We found CD8+ and CD4+ T cell responses against the immunological tracers KLH and TK, and against the NTPs and MAGE-3, respectively.

We have experience about using Elispot assays for monitoring vaccine induced specific anti-tumor T cell responses.

Our lab has expertise in performing ELISA assays. For example, we have monitored vaccine induced T cell responses for two clinical trials. We found CD8+ and CD4+ T cell responses against the immunological tracers KLH and TK, and against the NTPs and MAGE-3, respectively.

In our laboratory we have know-how on Elispot analysis. For instance, an IFN-ELISPOT assay was used to determine that co-cultures of DC and T cells led to antigen specific, IFN-? secreting T cells after 1 restimulation at a DC:T cell ratio of 1:20.

Knowledge on ELISPOT analyses is available in our lab for immunomonitoring of patients treated with Apo-DC +/- GM-CSF.

We have experience with ELISA assay for IL-17 from e-Bioscience.