The United States of America, As Represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services

University of Arkansas

Kellie L Kozak

Timothy J O'Brien

Martin J Cannon

The invention involves the discovery that if dendritic cells loaded with a tumor antigen are cultured in interleukin-15 (IL-15), or if T cells activated by the dendritic cells are cultured in IL-15, Treg activity that is specific for the tumor antigen is reduced. This reduction in Treg activity results in an increase in anti-tumor immune response. Another embodiment of the invention involves the discovery that incubating dendritic cells with a MAP kinase inhibitor in combination with IL-15 gives synergistic benefits when the dendritic cells are used to activate T cells. Dendritic cell and T cell compositions incubated with IL-15 or a MAP kinase inhibitor are provided.

Inhibition of dendritic cell-driven regulatory T cell activation and potentiation of tumor antigen-specific T cell responses by interleukin-15 and MAP kinase inhibitor

Growing community of inventors

Galveston, TX, United States of America

Kellie L Kozak