Biomira USA Inc.

The United States of America As Represented by the Department of Health

Richard J Robb

Mircea C Popescu

Lawrence T Boni

Augusto C Ochoa

Dan L Longo

Paritosh Ghosh

Howard A Young

Michael M Batenjany

Mary Neville

Membrane-proteoliposome structures (MPs) are useful in preparing patient-specific vaccines against specific white blood cell (WBC) malignancies. The inventive MPs typically contain a membrane component derived from a specific WBC. Other useful components include immunostimulators and exogenous lipids. The resulting vaccines are both patient- and malignancy-specific.

Patient-specific white blood cell malignancy vaccine from membrane-proteoliposomes

Methods of identifying a patient having an altered immune status involve determining an immune status index for the patient and comparing it to the immune status index in healthy individuals. In general, an immune status index is the ratio of the amount of a protein that varies significantly in a patient with an altered immune status to the amount of another protein that is substantially invariant in both healthy and immune-altered individuals. Variable proteins can be TCR subunit proteins, T lymphocyte signal transduction pathway proteins, polynucleotide binding proteins or biological response modifiers (BRM). In addition, the ratio of a TH-1-type BRM to a TH-2-type BRM, the ratio of cytoplasmic to nuclear levels of polynucleotide binding proteins, the pattern of protein binding to an oligonucleotide probe that comprises the protein binding region of a gene for a BRM, or the pattern of distribution of T lymphocytes in a density gradient following density gradient centrifugation are also suitable as an immune status index. The methods are useful in identifying patients exhibiting immunosuppression, hyperimmunity and autoimmunity, as well as in assessing the immune status of a patient undergoing organ transplant.

Methods of identifying patients having an altered immune status

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Princeton Junction, NJ, United States of America

Richard J Robb