Abstract: An improved method for treatment of an individual suffering from or at risk for an infectious disease, comprising administering to said individual a combination of from two to five agents is disclosed. The agents may be agents that mobilize dendritic cells, agents that cause death or growth inhibition of infectious agents, chemoattractants, agents that stimulate maturation of dendritic cells, and agents that enhance an immune response of an effector T cell. Antigen-expressing, activated dendritic cells are disclosed. Such dendritic cells are used to present antigens (specifically, antigens derived from infectious agents) to T cells, and can be useful in vaccination protocols. Useful cytokines can be used in separate sequential or simultaneous combination with the activated, antigen-pulsed dendritic cells. Also disclosed are methods for stimulating an immune response using the antigen-expressing, activated dendritic cells.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel mammalian C-type lectin polypeptides associated with antigen presenting cells. Designated as Dendritic Cell C-type Lectins (DCL), the following four novel genes have been discovered: DCL 1, DCL 2, DCL 3 and DCL 4, as well as splice variants svDCL 2, svDCL 3 and svDCL 4, and a human homologue herein designated DCL 5. The present invention provides polynucleotides encoding DCL polypeptides, recombinant expression vectors, host cells transfected with the recombinant expression vectors, methods of producing and isolating the inventive polypeptides and various screening assays. Therapeutic compositions and methods of treating various diseases are also provided.

Abstract: The immune response to an antigen is enhanced through increasing the concentration of dendritic cells at a targeted site, which site may be the site of antigen contact, or may be the site of antigen presentation to T cells. Dendritic cells are attracted to the targeted site by a localization factor, which factor may be chemokine, cytokine, somatostatin receptor agonists, and the like. The methods may further be practised in conjunction with the expansion of functional dendritic cells in vivo, for example through administration of Flt3-L, GM-CSF, and the like. Also included is the use of maturation factors following antigen acquisition by the dendritic cells.