Immunoprotective Primary Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are unique multipotent progenitor cells that are presently being exploited as gene therapy vectors for a variety of conditions, including cancer and autoimmune diseases. While MSC are primarily touted for their immunosuppressive properties, several published reports have also directly shown that MSC promotes adaptive immunity. DNA vaccination studies in humans show poor efficacy. Dendritic cell vaccination strategies have shown limited clinical success for therapeutic cancer vaccinations and have high production costs due to necessary individual tailoring. A further limitation on current vaccine technology is the time involved in developing a vaccine against a given pathogen. Episomally transfected MSC address the limitations of vaccinations. Immunoprotective primary MSCs are useful for generating passive immunity against or treating infection by the pathological agent. It can be provided in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, such as a buffer, for use as a pharmaceutical composition for treatment or prevention.