Adoptive transfer of antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) holds significant promise in treating cancer and Th1 response cytokines are critical for their stimulation. Recently we reported that interleukin 7-(IL-7) and interferongamma-(IFNγ) autocrine/T cell gene delivery resulted in superior ex vivo CTL stimulation over paracrine/DC delivery. IL-12 is yet another important Th1 cytokine...

Dendritic cells (DCs) have the capacity to initiate immune responses, but it has been postulated that they may also be involved in inducing peripheral tolerance. To examine the function of DCs in the steady state we devised an antigen delivery system targeting these specialized antigen presenting cells in vivo using a monoclonal antibody to a DC-restricted endocytic receptor, DEC-205. Our exper...

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a key role in initiating adaptive immune response by presenting antigen to T cells in lymphoid organs. Here, we investigate the potential of quantum dots (QDs) as fluorescent nanoparticles for in vitro and in vivo imaging of DCs, and as a particle-based antigen-delivery system to enhance DC-mediated immune responses. We used confocal, two-photon, and electron microsco...

  Introduction: Vaccinology provides promising approaches for the control of various infectious diseases. Among different strategies, DNA vaccines offer attractive research opportunities for development of vaccines for induction of antigen-specific immunity owing to their stability, simplicity of delivery, safety and cost effectiveness. However, there is a need to increase their potency by the ...

Genetic vaccines offer a treatment opportunity based upon successful gene delivery to specific immune cell modulators. Driving the process is the vector chosen for gene cargo packaging and subsequent delivery to antigen-presenting cells (APCs) capable of triggering an immune cascade. As such, the delivery process must successfully navigate a series of requirements and obstacles associated with ...

Objective The goal of this study was to prepare and characterize alginate microspheres as an antigen delivery system and adjuvant for immunization against leishmaniasis. Materials and Methods Microspheres were prepared by an emulsification technique and characterized for size, encapsulation efficiency, and release profile of encapsulates. Selection of appropriate parameters (viscosity of al...