Method for in vitro proliferation of dendritic cell precursors and their use to produce immunogens for treating autoimmune diseases

A method of treating autoimmune disease comprising administering to a patient in need of treatment a therapeutically effective amount of a composition comprising antigen-activated dendritic cells, wherein dendritic cells are produced from proliferating cell cultures by a method comprising

• providing a tissue source comprising dendritic cell precursors;
• culturing the tissue source on a substrate and in culture medium to expand the number of dendritic cell precursors by allowing the dendritic cell precursors to proliferate;
• wherein said culture medium comprises GM-CSF and at least one other factor which inhibits the proliferation or maturation of non-dendritic cell precursors thereby increasing the proportion of dendritic cell precursors in the culture;
• and
• continuing to culture the dendritic cell precursors for a period of time sufficient to allow them to mature into mature dendritic cells;
• wherein the dendritic cells are pulsed with self-protein, and wherein the dendritic cells process the self-protein to produce modified self-protein antigen, which is expressed by the dendritic cells.