HK1262730B - Proliferating agent for monocyte, culture medium for proliferating monocyte, and method for producing monocyte - Google Patents

Description

Monocyte growth promoting agent, monocyte growth promoting medium, and method for producing monocyte

The present application is a divisional application of chinese patent application No.201380001273.1(PCT application No. PCT/JP2013/053154) having an application date of 2013, 2/8, entitled "monocyte growth promoting agent, monocyte growth medium, method for producing monocytes, method for producing dendritic cells, and method for producing dendritic cell vaccine".

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a monocyte growth promoting agent, a monocyte growth medium, a method for producing monocytes, a method for producing dendritic cells, and a method for producing a dendritic cell vaccine.

Background

In recent years, in the treatment of cancer, the use of a dendritic cell vaccine has been focused. A dendritic cell vaccine is prepared from dendritic cells into which a cancer antigen has been introduced (pulsed) into dendritic cells from a subject to which the vaccine has been administered (e.g., a cancer patient), and is administered into the body of the subject to which the vaccine has been administered. The administered dendritic cells present cancer antigens to T cells, and the antigen-presented T Cells (CTLs) specifically attack cancer cells, thereby enabling treatment of cancer without damaging normal cells in vivo.

However, dendritic cells necessary for the production of dendritic cell vaccines cannot be isolated directly from the body. Therefore, the dendritic cells are obtained by isolating monocytes from blood collected from a subject to whom the vaccine is administered and differentiating the monocytes into dendritic cells.

As a conventionally known method for collecting monocytes used for the production of a dendritic cell vaccine, a method for separating leukocytes in blood using a constituent blood collecting device (hereinafter, this method is referred to as "apheresis") is known. However, blood collection not only is expensive to use, but also requires high skill to operate the device. In addition, a mixture containing not only mononuclear cells but also components other than mononuclear cells (white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, and the like) is collected by blood collection. Therefore, in order to remove components other than monocytes, such as red blood cells and platelets, a separation step of monocytes is generally performed after the blood collection.

In clinical applications of dendritic cell vaccines, it is preferred to use about 1X 10 in one administration ⁷ Number of cells of each. To ensure such a cell count, usually, about 8 blood collections are taken from the same subject at intervals. In addition, since the proportion of monocytes present in blood is low, when blood collection is used in order to obtain a sufficient amount of monocytes to produce a dendritic cell vaccine, it is necessary to circulate blood in the blood collection device and collect leukocyte components sufficiently, which causes a very large physical or temporal burden on the patient. Therefore, there are the following cases: in the blood collection, when the state of the patient suddenly changes, the blood collection is interrupted halfway, and thus the dendritic cell vaccine therapy has to be abandoned. In addition, when the mononuclear cell component is collected by the blood collection method, the dendritic cell vaccine can be prepared in an amount of about 5 to 8 times, but the actual amount of the obtained dendritic cell vaccine varies depending on the blood condition of the patient.

In addition, in conventional blood collection methods such as collecting peripheral blood from an arm or the like, although the burden on the patient is light, there are the following disadvantages: even if the obtained monocytes are directly differentiated into dendritic cells according to the conventional method, a sufficient number of cells cannot be obtained. Therefore, in order to produce a dendritic cell vaccine having a sufficient number of cells from monocytes obtained by blood collection from peripheral blood, it is a problem to proliferate monocytes in this process, and a technique for overcoming this problem is desired. In addition, in such a technique, considering the administration interval of the dendritic cell vaccine, it is more desirable that the dendritic cell vaccine can be produced in about 2 weeks with respect to the production time of the dendritic cell vaccine.

Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, it is considered to proliferate monocytes isolated from blood in vitro. As such a method, patent document 1 discloses culturing monocytes in a state in which the expression of a specific substance in the monocytes is suppressed. However, this method requires a recombinant production step and a long culture time.

Patent document 1: japanese Kokai publication No. 2010-515442

Disclosure of Invention

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a means for efficiently and easily proliferating monocytes.

The present inventors have found that a specific cytokine involved in the proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells and the like can efficiently proliferate monocytes, and thus have completed the present invention. Specifically, the present invention provides the following.

(1) A monocyte proliferation agent for use prior to a differentiation treatment from monocytes to dendritic cells, the monocyte proliferation agent comprising one or more of Flt-3L, IL-3 or IFN- γ.

(2) A monocyte propagation medium for use prior to differentiation treatment from monocytes to dendritic cells, the medium comprising one or more of Flt-3L, IL-3 or IFN- γ.

(3) The medium for proliferating monocytes according to (2), which contains GM-CSF.

(4) A method of manufacturing a monocyte, the method comprising:

a proliferation step of culturing the raw material mononuclear cells in the monocyte proliferation medium described in (2) or (3) to proliferate the raw material mononuclear cells.

(5) The method for producing monocytes according to (4), wherein a mixture containing monocytes and leukocyte components other than monocytes is used as the raw material monocytes.

(6) The method for producing monocytes according to (4) or (5), comprising:

a reduction step of reducing the content of components other than monocytes in the body fluid before the proliferation step to obtain the raw material monocytes.

(7) The method for producing monocytes according to (6), wherein the reduction is performed by using magnetic beads having higher affinity for monocytes and at least one of leukocyte components, plasma, and red blood cells other than monocytes than the monocytes in the raw material monocytes than for other components.

(8) The method for producing monocytes according to (6) or (7), wherein the raw material monocytes are obtained from peripheral blood of 100mL or less.

(9) The method for producing monocytes according to any one of (6) to (8), wherein a cryopreservation step of cryopreserving the monocytes is not included.

(10) A method of making a dendritic cell, the method comprising:

a monocyte production process for producing monocytes by the method for producing monocytes according to any one of (4) to (9), and

a differentiation step of differentiating the monocytes obtained by the monocyte production step into dendritic cells.

(11) The method for producing dendritic cells according to (10), wherein in the differentiation step, the monocytes are cultured in a medium containing one or more of Flt-3L, IL-3 or IFN-. gamma..

(12) The method for producing dendritic cells according to (10) or (11), which comprises a step of pulsing the dendritic cells.

(13) A method of making a dendritic cell vaccine, the method comprising:

a dendritic cell production process for producing a dendritic cell by the method for producing a dendritic cell according to any one of (10) to (12), and

a production step of producing a dendritic cell vaccine by using the dendritic cells obtained in the dendritic cell production step.

(14) The method for producing a dendritic cell vaccine according to (13), wherein a cryopreservation step of cryopreserving at least one of the monocyte and the dendritic cell is not included.

(15) The method for producing a dendritic cell vaccine according to (13) or (14), wherein the raw material monocytes are obtained from a body fluid collected from a subject to which the dendritic cell vaccine is administered.

The present invention can provide a means for efficiently and easily proliferating monocytes.

Drawings

FIG. 1 shows the respective cell samples (3X 10) before (A) and after (B) the isolation of monocytes from peripheral blood ⁵ Individual cells) in the sample.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the time-dependent change in the number of cells when monocytes are cultured in the presence of the monocyte-proliferating agent according to one embodiment of the present invention for 3 days and then cultured for 11 days to differentiate into dendritic cells.

FIG. 3 shows graphs (A) and (B) showing the differentiation of monocytes proliferated by the monocyte proliferation agent of the present invention into mature dendritic cells and graph (C) showing that the mature dendritic cells obtained in (A) and (B) have antigen-presenting ability.

Detailed Description

The following description is illustrative of embodiments of the invention and is not intended to be limiting.

< monocyte growth promoting agent >

The monocyte proliferation agent of the present invention comprises one or more of Flt-3L, IL-3 or IFN-gamma, and is used before the differentiation treatment from monocytes to dendritic cells. The form of use of the monocyte growth promoting agent of the present invention is not particularly limited, and it is considered that the monocyte growth promoting agent can be used in a form of addition to a medium in which monocytes can be cultured or premixing as a component of the medium.

"differentiation treatment from monocytes to dendritic cells" means: monocytes are cultured under conditions suitable for differentiating into dendritic cells, i.e., in the presence of a predetermined amount of a specific cytokine (e.g., GM-CSF, IL-4, and IL-6). It is known that the number of monocytes increases to some extent even during the differentiation treatment, but the monocyte growth promoting agent of the present invention is used not in the differentiation treatment but in a stage before it.

Regarding the above various cytokines, the amount of the monocytes that differentiate into dendritic cells means: the cytokine is added to the culture medium at 37 deg.C and 5% CO ₂ The number of dendritic cells in the total cell number of 6 days after culturing under the conditions of (1) is 20% or moreThe amount of the body varies depending on the composition of the medium and the culture conditions.

The monocyte-proliferating agent of the present invention can proliferate monocytes to a sufficient amount (e.g., 10) for producing a dendritic cell vaccine before the differentiation treatment as described above is performed ⁶ ～10 ⁷ One cell/mL or more), it is not necessary to repeat the culturing step of monocytes a plurality of times for the dendritic cell vaccine, and therefore, it is simple.

Although Flt-3L (Flt 3-ligand), IL-3 (interleukin-3), and IFN-. gamma.are known as cytokines involved in the proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells, the inventors of the present invention have surprisingly found that they can efficiently proliferate monocytes as a result of studies.

(Flt-3L)

The amount of Flt-3L suitable for proliferating monocytes is not particularly limited, and may be 100 to 10000IU/mL, preferably 1000 to 5000IU/mL, and most preferably 1000 to 3000IU/mL, based on a culture medium in which monocytes can be cultured.

(IL-3)

The amount of IL-3 suitable for growing monocytes is not particularly limited, and may be 100 to 10000IU/mL, preferably 100 to 5000IU/mL, and most preferably 500 to 3000IU/mL, based on the culture medium in which monocytes can be cultured.

(IFN-γ)

The amount of IFN-. gamma.suitable for use in the proliferation of monocytes is not particularly limited, and may be 1 to 1000ng/mL, preferably 1 to 500ng/mL, and most preferably 1 to 50ng/mL, based on the culture medium in which monocytes can be cultured.

The monocyte proliferation agent of the present invention may be used alone or in combination with two or more of Flt-3L, IL-3 and IFN-. gamma.. As mentioned above, since Flt-3L, IL-3 and IFN- γ have similar functions, it is believed that their combined use does not interfere with each other's functions. In the case of combining two or more of them, the respective cytokine amounts may be in the above-mentioned ranges or may be less than them.

Whether or not the cells proliferated by the monocyte proliferation agent of the present invention are monocytes is confirmed by analyzing cell surface markers of the resulting cells by flow cytometry. Examples of the marker on the cell surface of monocytes include CD 14. Cells with such markers may be considered monocytes.

< Medium for growing monocyte >

The culture medium for monocyte growth of the present invention contains at least one of Flt-3L, IL-3 and IFN-. gamma.and is used before differentiation treatment from monocytes to dendritic cells. Specifically, the culture medium for growing monocytes may further contain nutrients, pH regulators, and the like, which are useful for culturing monocytes. The medium containing the above components is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a serum-free synthetic medium for lymphocytes, AIM-V, RPMI-1640, and the like. The term "medium" as used herein includes not only a liquid form in which preparation is completed, but also a mixture of components (usually in the form of powder) before preparation.

The monocyte growth medium of the present invention may further contain a cytokine (GM-CSF (Granulocyte Macrophage Colony-stimulating Factor)) involved in monocyte differentiation.

Monocytes have a tendency to differentiate into macrophages in the presence of GM-CSF and into dendritic cells in the presence of GM-CSF and IL-4. However, the present inventors have found that the proliferation of monocytes can be significantly promoted by using the monocyte proliferation medium of the present invention containing GM-CSF. Although GM-CSF itself has a monocyte growth promoting effect, it has been known in the past that the culture medium for monocyte growth of the present invention containing GM-CSF can significantly promote the growth of monocytes without differentiating monocytes. The monocyte growth medium of the present invention may further contain IL-4 in an amount smaller than the amount (for example, 500 to 2000IU/mL) of the monocyte to be differentiated into dendritic cells, in addition to GM-CSF. GM-CSF contained in the monocyte growth medium of the present invention may be, for example, in the range of 500 to 2000 IU/mL.

The medium for growing monocytes of the present invention may contain a reagent generally used in cell culture. Examples of such a reagent include antibiotics (gentamicin, kanamycin, etc.), albumin, serum (fetal bovine serum, etc.), and the like. The culture medium for proliferating monocytes of the present invention may contain autologous plasma derived from a living body (for example, mammals such as human, pig, cow, horse, goat, sheep, rabbit, kangaroo, and monkey) (that is, it means that monocytes to be proliferated and autologous plasma are obtained from the same living body). In addition, the monocyte growth medium of the present invention may contain Picibanil chloride, prostaglandin E2(PGE2), and the like, in order to promote differentiation into dendritic cells.

< method for producing monocyte >

The method for producing monocytes of the present invention includes a proliferation step of culturing raw material monocytes in the monocyte proliferation medium of the present invention to proliferate the raw material monocytes.

(propagation step)

The conditions used in the proliferation step of the present invention are not particularly limited, and from the viewpoint of proliferating monocytes before the differentiation of many monocytes is started, the temperature may be 30 to 40 ℃ and 2 to 8% CO ₂ Culturing under the conditions of (1). The culture time can be adjusted appropriately according to the amount of monocytes required, and can be 3 to 20 days, 3 to 18 days, 3 to 14 days, and 3 to 10 days. During the culture, the medium can be replaced as appropriate according to a conventionally known method.

According to the method for producing monocytes of the present invention, monocytes in raw material monocytes can be proliferated to a clinically usable level (e.g., 10 days) in a short culture time of, for example, 14 days ⁶ ～10 ⁷ Individual cells/mL or more). By clinically useful levels is meant: in the case where dendritic cells (obtained by differentiating expanded monocytes) are prepared as a dendritic cell vaccine, the obtained dendritic cell vaccine can be used as it is as a non-freezing vaccine.

In the method for producing monocytes of the present invention, monocytes are proliferated under conditions that place a small load on monocytes, such as culturing monocytes in the monocyte proliferation medium of the present invention. Therefore, it can be expected that the method for producing monocytes of the present invention can obtain monocytes at a high viable cell rate (e.g., more than 90%).

(raw material mononuclear cell)

The raw material monocytes of the present invention are a sample containing monocytes. The raw material monocytes may be composed of monocytes alone, or the raw material monocytes may be a mixture containing monocytes and leukocyte components other than monocytes (e.g., lymphocytes, NK cells, NKT cells) because monocytes can be selectively and efficiently proliferated by the method for producing monocytes of the present invention. The mixture may further comprise plasma and red blood cells. The mixture may be a mononuclear cell fraction mainly containing mononuclear cells and lymphocytes obtained by subjecting a sample of a body fluid such as blood to density gradient centrifugation or the like.

(reduction step)

Preferably, the raw material monocytes are obtained by performing a reduction step of reducing the content of components other than monocytes in the body fluid before the proliferation step. The reduction can be performed, for example, by a method using magnetic beads, a density gradient centrifugation method, a method of separating monocytes by adhering only monocytes in a component in a body fluid to a culture dish, a combination of the above methods, or the like.

Magnetic beads are preferably used because they allow simple and efficient recovery of monocytes and cause little damage to monocytes. The magnetic beads have a higher affinity for monocytes and at least one (preferably all) of leukocyte components, plasma, and erythrocytes other than monocytes in the raw material monocytes than for other substances. The magnetic beads may have a structure in which an antibody or the like against a substance to be separated is bound to a carrier having magnetism. In addition, the mononuclear cell fraction obtained by subjecting the body fluid to density gradient centrifugation is preferably treated with magnetic beads from the viewpoint of further improving the yield of monocytes.

When using magnetic beads having a relatively high affinity for monocytes, monocytes can be predominantly isolated from body fluids (this is called positive selection of monocytes). The raw material monocytes can be obtained by removing the magnetic beads from the separated monocytes by a conventionally known method. Although this method is advantageous from the viewpoint of a small number of types of magnetic beads to be prepared, a step of removing the magnetic beads from the monocytes is necessary, and there are several concerns about damage to the monocytes.

When magnetic beads having a relatively high affinity for at least one of leukocyte components other than monocytes, plasma, and erythrocytes are used, components other than monocytes can be removed from the body fluid (this is called negative selection of monocytes). As a result, raw material monocytes mainly containing monocytes can be obtained. Although this form is disadvantageous in view of the large number of types of magnetic beads to be prepared, it is preferable in that a step of removing the magnetic beads from the monocytes is not required, and that high-quality monocytes can be obtained with certainty. The sample for negative selection of monocytes may also be a monocyte fraction obtained by subjecting a body fluid to density gradient centrifugation. In this case, magnetic beads having a relatively high affinity for lymphocytes are used.

In the case of using magnetic beads, a magnetic cell separation apparatus may be used. The magnetic cell separation device is provided with a sample of a body fluid such as blood and a reagent such as magnetic beads in the device, and separates monocytes from the body fluid based on a predetermined procedure. The use of such a device is preferable from the viewpoint that monocytes can be separated from a body fluid quickly and efficiently. When monocytes are isolated at a high yield, the proliferation efficiency of monocytes obtained from the monocyte proliferation agent of the present invention can be significantly improved.

Examples of the magnetic cell separation device suitable for the present invention include "RoboSep (trademark)" (Veritas, ltd.).

(body fluid)

Examples of the sample for obtaining the raw material mononuclear cell include body fluids such as blood and bone marrow fluid. Blood is collected from an organism (for example, a human cancer patient), and examples thereof include peripheral blood, umbilical cord blood, and the like. Among them, peripheral blood is preferable from the viewpoint of reducing the burden on the subject. The method of collecting body fluid is not particularly limited, and a method of collecting body fluid from an arm, a wrist, a foot, or the like using a syringe, a butterfly needle, or the like can be employed. In the method for producing monocytes of the present invention, since the amount of the body fluid used is small, the burden on the living body (cost, time, etc.) at the time of collecting the body fluid is significantly lower than that in the conventional methods such as blood collection.

Conventionally, in order to produce a dendritic cell vaccine, a large amount of blood, for example, 300 to 400mL, is collected from a living body. However, according to the method for producing monocytes of the present invention, the amount of the body fluid to be used may be a small amount of 100mL or less, 90mL or less, 80mL or less, 70mL or less, 60mL or less, 50mL or less, 40mL or less, 35mL or less, 30mL or less, 25mL or less, 20mL or less, 15mL or less, 10mL or less, 5mL or less, 1mL or less, or 0.5mL or less. The lower limit of the body fluid amount is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 0.1mL or more.

The monocytes obtained by the method for producing monocytes of the present invention may be differentiated into dendritic cells directly through a differentiation step, or may be stored in a frozen state by a conventionally known method. Cryopreserved monocytes may be used for the differentiation step of monocytes after thawing. However, from the viewpoint of preventing the loss of the differentiable monocytes, it is preferable that the monocytes are not stored under refrigeration. In the present invention, since it is not necessary to perform a plurality of times of monocyte culture for obtaining monocytes to be supplied to the differentiation step, the monocytes may be supplied to the differentiation step of the monocytes without freezing and storing.

< method for producing dendritic cells >

The method for producing dendritic cells of the present invention comprises: a monocyte production step of producing monocytes by the method for producing monocytes of the present invention, and a differentiation step of differentiating the monocytes obtained by the monocyte production step into dendritic cells.

(differentiation step)

Methods for differentiating monocytes into dendritic cells are known per se. That is, monocytes are cultured in a differentiation medium containing, for example, IL-4, and the like, whereby the monocytes are differentiated into immature dendritic cells. The immature dendritic cells are differentiated into mature dendritic cells by culturing the obtained immature dendritic cells in a medium containing TNF-alpha or the like. The dendritic cells in the present invention include both immature dendritic cells and mature dendritic cells.

In the differentiation step of the present invention, it is also preferred to use a medium containing more than one of Flt-3L, IL-3 or IFN- γ. This allows monocytes to be differentiated into dendritic cells while proliferating them, and a larger number of dendritic cells can be obtained. However, when the number of monocytes obtained by the proliferation step is sufficient or the number of required dendritic cells is small, the medium containing the above components may not be used.

(pulse step)

By introducing (pulsing) a substance (peptide or the like) extracted from a cancer cell, a cancer-specific antigen, an artificial antigen or the like into the obtained immature dendritic cells or mature dendritic cells, dendritic cells that can present a desired antigen can be obtained. The pulsing step may be performed during the process of producing dendritic cells, or may be performed during the process of preparing a vaccine after the production of dendritic cells, as described below.

The method of pulsing is not particularly limited as long as it is a method capable of introducing a desired antigen into dendritic cells, and examples thereof include a method of culturing dendritic cells together with a desired antigen. In general, immature dendritic cells are more susceptible to introduction of antigen than mature dendritic cells, and thus it is preferred to pulse the immature dendritic cells.

Whether the resulting cells were dendritic cells was confirmed by analyzing cell surface markers of dendritic cells by flow cytometry. Examples of the cell surface marker for dendritic cells include CD 83. Cells with such markers are considered dendritic cells.

Whether or not the dendritic cells obtained by the method for producing dendritic cells of the present invention have an antigen-presenting ability is confirmed by analyzing cell surface markers of the dendritic cells by flow cytometry. Examples of the cell surface marker of a dendritic cell having an antigen-presenting ability include MHC Class I molecule (HLA-A, B, C) and MHC Class II molecule (HLA-DR). Dendritic cells having such a marker are considered to have antigen-presenting ability.

< method for producing dendritic cell vaccine >

The method for producing a dendritic cell vaccine of the present invention comprises: a dendritic cell production step of producing a dendritic cell according to the method for producing a dendritic cell of the present invention, and a production step of producing a dendritic vaccine from the dendritic cell obtained in the dendritic cell production step.

(preparation step)

The method for producing a dendritic cell vaccine from dendritic cells is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include: the dendritic cells are mixed with a pharmaceutical agent (physiological saline, ringer's solution, etc.) formulated in a usual vaccine preparation. In addition, in the case of using a dendritic cell that has not undergone a pulse step, the pulse step is performed on the dendritic cell.

The method for producing a dendritic cell vaccine of the present invention may not include a freezing step of freezing at least one of monocytes and dendritic cells. In the method for producing a dendritic cell vaccine of the present invention, since monocytes or dendritic cells can be obtained in a short time in a sufficient amount to produce a dendritic cell vaccine, the monocytes or dendritic cells can be prepared immediately without storage. Therefore, the monocytes or dendritic cells produced as needed can be supplied to the production of a dendritic cell vaccine without cryopreservation. This makes it possible to avoid cell damage and a decrease in the antigen-presenting ability of dendritic cells, which may be caused by freezing.

The obtained dendritic cell vaccine can be administered to a living body by a conventionally known method such as intradermal injection.

The raw material monocytes are preferably obtained from body fluid collected from a subject to whom the dendritic cell vaccine is administered. By using monocytes that are the starting materials for administration of a dendritic cell vaccine, a dendritic cell vaccine with less harmful side effects can be obtained. However, as long as the immune response generated by administration of the dendritic cell vaccine is permissive, a body fluid collected from a person other than the subject may be used.

Examples

The present invention will be described below based on examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

< example 1: isolation of monocytes

Peripheral blood was collected in 25mL from the arms of 3 cancer patients. The peripheral blood was subjected to density gradient centrifugation using Ficoll solution (GE Healthcare Japan) to obtain mononuclear cell fraction cells. The obtained cells of the monocyte fraction were loaded into a magnetic cell separator (trade name: RoboSep, Veritas, K.K.), and CD14 was separated according to the procedure set for monocyte separation ⁺ Monocytes and CD16 ⁺ A monocyte.

The number of monocytes in each sample was measured for peripheral blood before the isolation of monocytes and for samples after the isolation of monocytes from peripheral blood under the following conditions.

For 3X 10 in each sample ⁵ Individual cells, cell surface markers were analyzed by flow cytometry. The marker used was CD14, a monocyte marker. The results are shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, when the number of monocytes (534 before isolation; 2938 after isolation) was significantly increased relative to the number of cells in the sample by the isolation step as compared with the number of monocytes (A) before isolation and the number of monocytes (B) after isolation, a sample in which monocytes were concentrated was obtained.

< example 2: proliferation of monocytes

Monocytes (CD 14) derived from cancer patients isolated according to the above-described method were cultured in a monocyte growth medium containing the monocyte growth agent of the present invention (Flt-3L was used in this example) under the following conditions ⁺ Monocytes and CD16 ⁺ Monocytes).

(composition of culture Medium for monocyte growth)

Serum-free synthetic medium for lymphocytes (X-VIVO 15, Takara Bio Inc.)

Flt-3L (Cellgeix Co.) 2000IU/mL

GM-CSF (Miltenyi Biotec Co.) 1000IU/mL

Gentamicin 50ng/mL

5% autologous plasma (plasma obtained from each cancer patient)

Adding the separated mononuclear cells to the monocyte growth medium to make the amount of the mononuclear cells to be 2X 10 relative to the medium ⁵ Individual cells/mL, 5% CO at 37 ℃ ₂ Cultured for 3 days. The culture medium for monocyte differentiation (1) in example 3 was used for 8 days from day 4 of the culture. The culture medium for monocyte differentiation (2) in example 3 was used for 3 days from day 12 of the culture. Namely, the culture time was 14 days in total.

The mononuclear cells were collected at each time point of the start of culture, 3 days after culture, 6 days after culture, 11 days after culture, and 14 days after culture, stained with trypan blue, and observed with a microscope to count the number of cells. The results are shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, monocytes increased to 2X 10 at the 3 rd day of culture ⁶ About one cell/mL. At this point in time, it may be supplied to the differentiation step. Furthermore, it is expected that 10 can be obtained by culturing in the presence of the monocyte growth promoting agent of the present invention in the differentiation step ⁷ Individual cells/mL or more dendritic cells.

< example 3: differentiation of monocytes (S)

The monocytes obtained as described above were cultured under the following conditions

(composition of monocyte differentiation Medium (1))

A culture medium for differentiating monocytes into immature dendritic cells was prepared by adding 1000IU of IL-4(Miltenyi Biotec Co.) to a culture medium for proliferating monocytes. This medium is hereinafter referred to as "monocyte differentiation medium (1)".

(composition of monocyte differentiation Medium (2))

A medium for differentiating immature dendritic cells into mature dendritic cells was prepared by further adding the following components to the monocyte differentiation medium (1). This medium is hereinafter referred to as "monocyte differentiation medium (2)".

IL-1 beta (Miltenyi Biotec Co.) 10ng/mL

IL-6(Miltenyi Biotec Co.) 1000IU/mL

PGE-2(Cayman Chemical Co., Ltd.) 1. mu.g/mL

TNF-alpha (Miltenyi Biotec Co.) 20ng/mL

0.1KE Picibanil chloride (Chinese and foreign pharmacy)

Gentamicin 50ng/mL

5% autologous plasma (plasma obtained from each cancer patient)

The proliferated monocytes (i.e., monocytes cultured on day 3 under the conditions of example 2) were cultured in the monocyte differentiation medium (1) for 8 days under the same conditions as the proliferation of monocytes, and differentiated into immature dendritic cells. At the end of 8 days of culture, the antigen peptide was added and the pulse was performed.

The obtained immature dendritic cells were cultured in the monocyte differentiation medium (2) for 3 days under the same conditions as the proliferation of monocytes, and differentiated into mature dendritic cells.

The markers on the cell surface were analyzed by flow cytometry on the obtained mature dendritic cells. As the markers, CD83, which is a marker for mature dendritic cells, and CD14, which is a marker for monocytes, were used. The results are shown in FIG. 3 (A). In addition, the number of the obtained mature dendritic cells was analyzed by flow cytometry using CD83, a marker of mature dendritic cells, as a marker. The results are shown in FIG. 3 (B). As shown in fig. 3(a) and (B), since there was no cell expressing CD14 (i.e., monocyte) in the differentiated cells, but there was a cell expressing CD83 (i.e., mature dendritic cell), the monocyte was differentiated into mature dendritic cells.

Furthermore, the antigen-presenting ability of the obtained mature dendritic cells was analyzed by flow cytometry using MHC Class I molecule (HLA-A, B, C) and MHC Class II molecule (HLA-DR) as markers. The results are shown in FIG. 3 (C). As shown in FIG. 3(C), the obtained mature dendritic cells expressed MHC Class I and MHC Class II molecules and had antigen-presenting ability.

< example 4: study on Effect of various cytokines on monocyte proliferation >

The effect of the monocyte proliferation agent of the present invention (Flt-3L, IL-3 or IFN-. gamma.) and various cytokines (SCF, IFN-. alpha., or IFN-. beta.) on the proliferation of monocytes was investigated according to the following conditions.

Monocytes isolated according to the method described in example 1 were added to a 96-well plate to give a volume of 1X 10 in the culture medium ³ Individual cells/well, 5% CO at 37 ℃ ₂ Cultured under the conditions of (1) for 6 days. The composition of the medium is as follows.

(Medium composition)

Serum-free synthetic medium for lymphocytes (X-VIVO 15, Takara Bio Inc.)

Cytokines combined according to the matrix of Table 1 (the amounts of each cytokine used are shown below)

In Table 1, the "proliferation factor" is a collective name of the monocyte proliferation agent of the present invention (Flt-3L, IL-3 or IFN-. gamma.) and each cytokine (SCF, IFN-. alpha., and IFN-. beta.).

The number of cells after completion of the culture was observed under a microscope and compared with the results obtained under the conditions of "no growth factor addition" and "no GM-CSF or IL-4 addition", to determine the effect of each cytokine on the proliferation of monocytes. The results are shown in Table 1. The criteria for determination are as follows.

+ -: without change

+: slightly promoting monocyte proliferation

++: promoting monocyte proliferation

+++: remarkably promote the proliferation of the mononuclear cells

[ Table 1]

As shown in Table 1, the proliferation of monocytes was promoted using the monocyte proliferation agent of the present invention (Flt-3L, IL-3 or IFN-. gamma.). In addition, on the basis of the monocyte growth promoting agent of the present invention, the growth of monocytes is significantly promoted by further combining GM-CSF.

< example 5: study on the viable cell rate of monocytes >

The living cell rate of dendritic cells obtained by differentiating monocytes proliferated by the monocyte proliferation agent of the present invention was examined under the conditions described below.

About 25mL of peripheral blood was collected from the arms of 20 cancer patients. Monocytes were isolated from the peripheral blood obtained in the same manner as in example 1. Then, monocytes were proliferated in the same manner as in example 2, and the obtained monocytes were differentiated into mature dendritic cells in the same manner as in example 3.

For the obtained mature dendritic cells, trypan blue staining was performed to calculate the total cell number (total number of obtained mature dendritic cells) and the viable cell rate. The results are shown in Table 2. The viable cell rate was calculated based on the following formula.

Viable cell ratio (%) (% of viable cells) total number of viable cells (number of unstained cells)/total number of cells (sum of number of stained cells and number of unstained cells) × 100

[ Table 2]

	Total cell number (× 10) 7 )	Rate of viable cells
			Patient 1	1.05	97.2％
Patient 2	1.09	96.5％
			Patient 3	1.10	97.0％
Patient 4	1.15	97.0％
			Patient 5	1.03	97.0％
Patient 6	1.01	97.3％
			Patient 7	1.03	98.1％
Patient 8	1.04	97.3％
			Patient 9	1.23	97.5％
Patient 10	1.04	97.7％
			Patient 11	1.06	97.9％
Patient 12	1.17	96.7％
			Patient 13	1.10	98.7％
Patient 14	1.14	97.8％
			Patient 15	1.07	97.1％
Patient 16	1.12	97.1％
			Patient 17	1.03	97.9％
Patient 18	1.05	98.2％
			Patient 19	1.11	96.7％
Patient 20	1.02	97.8％

As shown in Table 2, according to the present invention, it can be expected that 1.0X 10 can be stably obtained ⁷ The number of cells above and about 97% or more of living cells.

Claims (15)

1. Use of Flt-3L or IFN- γ for the manufacture of a monocyte proliferation agent for use prior to differentiation treatment from monocytes to dendritic cells, said monocyte proliferation agent consisting of only 100-10000 IU/mL of Flt-3L or 1-1000 ng/mL of IFN- γ.
2. 2. A monocyte growth medium used before differentiation treatment from monocytes to dendritic cells, wherein the monocyte growth medium contains, as a monocyte growth medium, only one or more of Flt-3L of 100 to 10000IU/mL and IFN-gamma of 1 to 1000 ng/mL.
3. 3. A monocyte growth medium used before differentiation treatment from monocytes to dendritic cells, comprising as a monocyte growth agent only:

   Flt-3L of 100-10000 IU/mL and GM-CSF of 500-2000 IU/mL; or

   1-1000 ng/mL IFN-gamma and 500-2000 IU/mL GM-CSF; or

   Flt-3L of 100-10000 IU/mL, IFN-gamma of 1-1000 ng/mL and GM-CSF of 500-2000 IU/mL.
4. 4. A method of manufacturing a monocyte, the method comprising:

   a proliferation step of culturing the raw material mononuclear cells in the monocyte proliferation medium according to claim 2 or 3 to proliferate the raw material mononuclear cells.
5. 5. The method for producing monocytes according to claim 4, wherein a mixture containing monocytes and leukocyte components other than monocytes is used as said raw material monocytes.
6. 6. The method for producing monocytes according to claim 4 or 5, comprising:

   a reduction step of reducing the content of components other than monocytes in the body fluid to obtain the raw material monocytes before the proliferation step.
7. 7. The method for producing monocytes according to claim 6, wherein said reduction is performed by using magnetic beads having a higher affinity for monocytes and at least one of leukocyte components, plasma, and erythrocytes other than monocytes than for the raw material monocytes than for other components.
8. 8. The method for producing monocytes according to claim 6, wherein said raw material monocytes are obtained from peripheral blood of 100mL or less.
9. 9. The method for producing monocytes according to claim 6, wherein a cryopreservation step for cryopreserving said monocytes is not included.
10. 10. A method of making a dendritic cell, the method comprising:

    a monocyte production process for producing monocytes by the method for producing monocytes according to any one of claims 4 to 9, and

    a differentiation step of differentiating the monocytes obtained by the monocyte manufacturing step into dendritic cells.
11. 11. The method for producing dendritic cells according to claim 10, wherein in the differentiation step, the monocytes are cultured in a medium containing one or more of Flt-3L, IL-3 or IFN- γ.
12. 12. The method for producing dendritic cells according to claim 10 or 11, which comprises a step of pulsing the dendritic cells.
13. 13. A method of making a dendritic cell vaccine, the method comprising:

    a dendritic cell production step of producing a dendritic cell by the method for producing a dendritic cell according to any one of claims 10 to 12, and

    a production step of producing a dendritic cell vaccine by using the dendritic cells obtained in the dendritic cell production step.
14. 14. The method for producing a dendritic cell vaccine according to claim 13, wherein a cryopreservation step of cryopreserving at least one of the monocytes and the dendritic cells is not included.
15. 15. The method for producing a dendritic cell vaccine according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the raw material monocyte is obtained from a body fluid collected from a subject to which the dendritic cell vaccine is administered.