Simultaneous stimulation and concentration of cells

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to methods for stimulating cells, and more particularly, to a novel method to concentrate and/or stimulate cells that maximizes stimulation and/or proliferation of such cells. In the various embodiments, cells are stimulated and concentrated with a surface yielding enhanced proliferation, cell signal transduction, and/or cell surface moiety aggregation. In certain aspects methods for stimulating a population of cells such as T-cells, by simultaneous concentration and cell surface moiety ligation are provided by contacting the population of cells with a surface, that has attached thereto one or more agents that ligate a cell surface moiety and applying a force that predominantly drives cell concentration and cell surface moiety ligation, thereby inducing cell stimulation, cell surface moiety aggregation, and/or receptor signaling enhancement. Also provided are methods for producing phenotypically tailored cells, including T-cells for the use in diagnostics, drug discovery, and the treatment of a variety of indications, including cancer, viral infection, and immune related disorders. Compositions of cells having specific phenotypic properties produced by these processes are further provided.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.