Patent ID: 7390630

Claim:
A method of identifying a compound that selectively inhibits cytokine-stimulated T cell (T ck cell) induced production of TNFα by monocytes at least two-fold greater than the compound inhibits T cell antigen receptor-stimulated T cell (T tcr cell) induced production of TNFα by monocytes wherein said method comprises the following steps: (a) providing a population of T ck cells wherein said T ck cells have been produced by incubating normal human peripheral blood T cells with cytokines selected from the group consisting of: (i) IL-15; (ii) IL-6, TNFα and IL-2; and (iii) IL-6, TNFα and IL-15; (b) providing a population of T tcr cells wherein said T tcr cells have been produced by incubating normal human peripheral blood T cells with one or more anti-T cell antigen receptor antibodies which activate T cell antigen receptors; (c) incubating separate cultures of T ck cells and T tcr cells with a compound to be tested; (d) resuspending the cultures of T ck cells and T tcr cells in the absence of the test compound; (e) fixing the cultures of T ck cells and T tcr cells; (f) co-culturing equal portions of each of said fixed T ck cells and T tcr cells with monocytes to allow stimulation of the monocytes; and (g) assaying for TNFα production by said monocytes, wherein the method identifies a compound that selectively inhibits T ck cell induced production of TNFα by monocytes at least two-fold greater than the compound inhibits T tcr cell induced production of TNFα by monocytes.