摘要 |
The invention relates to a method for the preparation of efficient antigen-presenting human gammadelta T cells, to the gammadelta T cells prepared by such a method, and to their use in immunotherapy, vaccination, vaccine development and diagnostics. Similar to dendritic cells (DCs) in potency and efficacy, these human gammadelta T cells process antigens and present antigenic peptides to alphabeta T cells and induce antigen-specific responses (proliferation and differentiation) in naïve alphabeta T cells. gammadelta T cells are easily purified from peripheral blood, acquire "maturation" status (expression of essential adhesion, co-stimulatory and major histocompatibility complex molecules) within 1 day of in vitro culture under stimulation and induce strong primary and secondary T helper cell responses. The gammadelta T cells may be used in a method of treatment of tumors or chronic or recurrent infectious diseases, in identification of novel tumor or pathogen-derived antigens, and in the diagnosis of the immune competence of a patient.
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