AGENTS THAT ENGAGE ANTIGEN - PRESENTING CELLS THROUGH DENDRITIC CELL ASIALOGLYCOPROTEIN RECEPTOR (DC- ASGPR

摘要

Disclosed is an ex vivo method for increasing the effectiveness of antigen presentation by an isolated antigen presenting cell comprising the steps of providing an isolated DC-ASGPR-specific antibody or functional fragment thereof to which an antigen is attached, wherein the isolated DC-ASGPR-specific antibody or functional fragment thereof is bound to one half of a Coherin/Dockerin pair and an antigen is bound to the complementary half of the Coherin/Dockerin pair to form a complex; and contacting the isolated antigen presenting cell with the complex, wherein the antigen is processed and presented by the antigen-presenting cell that has been contacted with the complex. Also disclosed is the use of antibodies or other specific binding molecules capable of specifically binding to the extracellular domain of DC-ASGPR, wherein the antibodies or other specific binding molecules are bound to one half of a Coherin/Dockerin pair and one or more antigens are bound to a complementary half of the Coherin/Dockerin pair in the manufacture of a medicament for delivering antigens to antigen-presenting cells for the purpose of eliciting protective or therapeutic immune responses against cancer or an infectious disease selected from the group consisting of bacterial, viral, fungal, or protozoal disease.