Other

Dna Vec Research Inc.

Dnavec Corporation

Gaia Biomedicine Inc.

Id Pharma Co., Ltd.

Takeda Chemical Industries, Inc.

Kyushu University

Tella, Inc.

Kensuke Egashira

Yoshikazu Yonemitsu

Yonemitsu, Yoshikazu

Makoto Inoue

Mamoru Hasegawa

Yui Harada

Katsuo Sueishi

Yasuji Ueda

Hiroshi Ban

Noemi Fusaki

Akihiro Iida

Yasuhiro Ikeda

Koji Teraishi

Masanori Kobayashi

Yoshiyuki Inada

Toshihiro Nakajima

Masanori Miyazaki

Toshiaki Tabata

Masayuki Fukumura

Kenji Nakamaru

Shinji Okano

Haruhiko Kondo

Yuichiro Yazaki

Satoru Saito

Xiaogang Hou

Masato Okamoto

Hidenori Matsusaka

Hiroyuki Tsutsui

Takefumi Ishidao

Hiroyuki Sakakibara

Eric W F W Alton

Satoko Shibata

Kenji 202 Seiwahaitsu Nakamaru

Masanori c/o Discovery Research Laboratories Shionogi & Co Ltd Kobayashi

Akihiro c/o Dnavec Research Inc Iida

Mamoru c/o Dnavec Research Inc Hasegawa

Hiroyuki c/o Dnavec Research Inc Sakakibara

Yasuji c/o Dnavec Research Inc Ueda

An NK cell showing higher cytotoxic activity is provided. An object of the present invention is to provide a pharmaceutical composition for NK cell therapies expected to be highly effective. The present invention provides an NK cell having the following characteristics of (1) and (2) or a population thereof: (1) the NK cell is CD16-positive, highly expresses CD56, and is CD57-negative, and (2) the NK cell is NKG2C-positive, is NKG2A-negative or lowly expresses NKG2A, and is CD94-positive. The present invention also provides a pharmaceutical composition containing a population of such NK cells, and a therapeutically effective amount of antibodies.

Highly active NK cell and use thereof

The present invention relates to an immunocyte having higher cytotoxic activity, and a pharmaceutical composition for NK cell therapies, for which high effect can be expected. The present invention provides a cell population including CCR5-positive, CCR6-positive, CXCR3-positive, and CD3-negative cells. The present invention provides the cell population, wherein the CCR5-positive, CCR6-positive, CXCR3-positive, and CD3-negative cells further highly express CD11c. The present invention provides a CCR5-positive, CCR6-positive, CXCR3-positive, and CD3-negative cell, which infiltrates into a solid tumor. The present invention also provides a pharmaceutical composition containing such a cell population and a pharmaceutically acceptable additive. The present invention further provides a method for producing the aforementioned cell population.

Population of CD3-negative cells that express chemokine receptor and cell adhesion molecule, use of the same, and method for producing the same

An NK cell showing higher cytotoxic activity is provided. An object of the present invention is to provide a pharmaceutical composition for NK cell therapies expected to be highly effective. The present invention provides an NK cell having the following characteristics of (1) and (2) or a population thereof. (1) the NK cell is CD16-positive, highly expresses CD56, and is CD57-negative, and (2) the NK cell is NKG2C-positive, is NKG2A-negative or lowly expresses NKG2A, and is CD94-positive. The present invention also provides a pharmaceutical composition containing a population of such NK cells, and a therapeutically effective amount of antibodies.

An objective of the present invention is to provide vectors for conveniently and efficiently producing ES-like cells in which foreign genes are not integrated into the chromosome. The present inventors discovered methods for producing ES-like cells from somatic cells using chromosomally non-integrating viral vectors. Since no foreign gene is integrated into the chromosome of the produced ES-like cells, they are advantageous in tests and research, and immunological rejection and ethical problems can be avoided in disease treatments.

Method for production of reprogrammed cell using chromosomally unintegrated virus vector

A technique is needed which can amplify NK cells in vitro and prepare optimum number of NK cells for the adoptive immunotherapy. A method for amplifying NK cells is provided which comprises steps of: preparing cell population which is comprised of NK cells, removing T cells from the cell population which is comprised of NK cells, and, after removal of T cells, cultivating the remaining cells in a medium supplemented with 2500 to 2831 IU/mL of IL-2. The method for amplifying NK cells of the present invention may comprise a step of removing hematopoietic progenitor cells from the cell population. The present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition for adoptive immunotherapy, comprising NK cells which are prepared by the amplifying method of the present invention.

Method for amplifying NK cells

The present invention provides anticancer agents comprising dendritic cells introduced with RNA viruses. The present invention also provides methods for producing anticancer agents, which comprise the step of preparing dendritic cells introduced with RNA viruses. The present invention also provides methods for treating cancers using dendritic cells introduced with RNA viruses. The present invention provides effective methods for treating cancers, which use RNA viruses and dendritic cells in combination.

Anticancer agent containing dendritic cell having RNA virus transferred thereinto

An objective of the present invention is to provide methods for producing dendritic cells (DCs), which comprise the step of culturing DC precursor cells in the presence of a plurality of cytokines, produced dendritic cells, and uses thereof. The present inventors discovered that dendritic cells with a high IL-12 productivity can be obtained by culturing DC precursor cells in the presence of a plurality of cytokines, followed by about one week of culture in the presence of GM-CSF and IL-4. The present invention enables preparation of a large amount of DCs with a high IL-12 productivity from a small number of DC precursor cells, and therefore makes it easier to increase the number of DCs for administration in DC-based anti-tumor immune therapy, treatment of infections, etc. Thus, the effect of DC vaccines is expected to be enhanced.

Method for producing dendritic cells

The present invention provides methods for producing DCs, which comprise the step of culturing DC precursor cells in the presence of multiple cytokines, dendritic cells produced thereby, and uses thereof. The methods of the present invention enable production of large quantities of DC precursors with a high ability to differentiate into DCs. The present invention enables one to obtain large quantities of DCs from a small number of DC precursor cells, and therefore makes it easier to increase the number of DCs for administration in DC-based anti-tumor immunotherapy, treatment of infection, and such. Thus, an enhancement is expected for the effect of DC vaccines.

Method for production of dendritic cell

The present invention provides novel methods for treating diseases associated with apoptotic degeneration in ocular tissue cells by effective administration of pigment epithelium derived factor (PEDF). The present inventors studied PEDF as a means to prevent ganglion cell death, the final pathology of glaucoma. The present invention is particularly focused on SIV vectors for effective methods for delivering PEDF, and constructed an SIV-PEDF vector. When the SIV-PEDF vector was administered subretinally to an ischemia reperfusion model and NMDA-induced model, a significant suppression effect on ganglion cell death was observed. The present inventors therefore discovered that the SIV-PEDF vector is an effective pharmaceutical agent for treating diseases associated with apoptotic degeneration in ocular tissue cells, such as glaucoma.

Therapeutic agents for diseases associated with apoptotic degeneration in ocular tissue cells that use SIV-PEDF vectors

The present invention provides Paramyxovirus vectors encoding angiogenic genes and use of the same. The use of Paramyxovirus vectors enables effective transfer of angiogenic genes into individual tissues. FGF2 gene transferred into ischemic tissues in vivo induces expression of angiogenic genes without causing edema, and prevents necrosis due to ischemia. The vectors of the present invention are suitable for gene therapy targeted to ischemic tissues.

Paramyxovirus vector encoding angiogenesis gene and use thereof

The present invention provides a retroviral vector containing a membrane protein having a hemagglutinin activity. The present inventors constructed a retroviral vector pseudotyped by the membrane protein having a hemagglutinin activity. This viral vector showed gene transfer at a high efficiency into host cells. In particular, it was established that genes can be transferred thereby at a high efficiency into cells into which genes can hardly be transferred by the conventional techniques, for example, blood cells and hematopoietic cells including hematopoietic stem cells, and mucous cells including mucosa epithelial cells. The viral vector of the present invention is highly useful as a vector for gene therapy.

Pseudotype retroviral vectors containing membrane proteins having hemagglutinin activity

Provided are a recombinant Sendai virus vector for introducing exogenous genes to airway epithelia and a method for introducing exogenous genes using the vector. The recombinant Sendai virus vector enables efficient gene transfer to native mucus-layered airway epithelial cells by briefly contacting the vector with the cells. Furthermore, the vector can introduce genes to not only apical surfaces but also submucosal glands where CFTR primarily expresses. The vector can thus be used for gene therapy of CF, a CFTR-deficient disease.

Recombinant sendai virus vector for introducing exogenous genes to airway epithelia

The present invention provides a prophylactic and/or therapeutic agent for pulmonary hypertension, comprising an antagonistic mutein of MCP-1 or a salt thereof, a DNA molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding the antagonistic mutein of MCP-1, or a neutralizing antibody against MCP-1. The antagonistic mutein of MCP-1 or a salt thereof, the DNA molecule having a nucleotide sequence encoding the antagonistic mutein of MCP-1, or the neutralizing antibody against MCP-1 has hypotensive activity, and thus is useful as a pharmaceutical agent for preventing and/or treating pulmonary hypertension (primary pulmonary hypertension, in particular).

Preventives and remedies for pulmonary hypertension

Growing community of inventors

Chiba, Japan

Yoshikazu Yonemitsu