PURPOSE OF REVIEW This review presents a clinically focussed introduction to cell-based immunotherapy in solid organ transplantation. The potential benefits and risks of cell-based immunotherapeutics are critically discussed. RECENT FINDINGS The use of immunoregulatory cells as medicinal agents is very much in its infancy, but the field is expanding rapidly. In principle, this approach permit...

Va14Ja18 natural T (iNKT) cells are innate, immunoregulatory lymphocytes that recognize CD1d-restricted lipid Ags such as alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha GalCer). The immunoregulatory functions of iNKT cells are dependent upon either IFN-gamma or IL-4 production by these cells. We hypothesized that alpha GalCer presentation by different CD1d-positive cell types elicits distinct iNKT cell functi...

Ca(2+)-regulated NFAT family members are transcription factors crucial for the expression of various cytokine genes and other immunoregulatory genes. Analyses of mice defective in one or two NFAT family members have revealed functions specific to each NFAT gene. However, the redundant functions of several family members limit the usefulness of gene disruption analysis. For example, CD4(+) T cel...

BACKGROUND: Chorioamnionitis is a common underlying cause of preterm birth (PTB). It is hypothesised that polymorphisms in immunoregulatory genes influence the host response to infection and subsequent preterm birth. The relationship between histologic chorioamnionitis and 22 single nucleotide polymorphisms in 11 immunoregulatory genes was examined in a case-control study. METHODS: Placentas of...

The pathophysiology of periapical lesions (PLs) is under control of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory (mainly immunoregulatory) cytokines. We have recently established mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from PLs and showed their suppressive effects on the production of proinflammatory cytokines from PLs inflammatory cells (ICs). In this work we studied the production of interleukin (IL)-10, IL-...

Levocetirizine, a second generation non-sedating antihistamine that blocks the H(1) histamine receptor, may exhibit immunoregulatory properties that augment its primary pharmacological mechanism. To investigate this possibility, 13 Kuwaiti seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) patients were treated with levocetirizine for four weeks in comparison with a 7-member placebo-treated control group, follow...

Autoantigen-specific T cells have tissue-specific homing properties, suggesting that these cells may be ideal vehicles for the local delivery of immunoregulatory molecules. We tested this hypothesis by using type II collagen-specific (CII-specific) CD4(+) T hybridomas or primary CD4(+) T cells after gene transfer, as vehicles to deliver an immunoregulatory protein for the treatment of collagen-...

OBJECTIVE The use of human fetal pancreatic tissue may provide a potential source of transplantable beta-cells as a therapy for type 1 diabetes. Human fetal pancreas has a remarkable capacity to grow and differentiate in vivo and has been shown to reverse diabetes in rodents. However, it is known that human fetal pancreas obtained from the second trimester of gestation is immunogenic and is rej...

Innate and adaptive immunity plays important roles in the development and progression of cancer and it is becoming apparent that tumors can influence the induction of potentially protective responses in a number of ways. The prevalence of immunoregulatory T cell populations in the circulation and tumors of patients with cancer is increased and the presence of these cells appears to present a ma...

We previously reported that ex vivo blockade of the CD40:CD40L costimulatory pathway in primary mixed lymphocyte reaction cultures resulted in profound in vitro secondary hyporesponsiveness and 30-fold or greater protection from graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) lethality. Present studies demonstrate that tolerance induction via costimulatory blockade also results in the generation of a potent i...