Patent ID: 8119403

Claim:
A method of evaluating a test agent in in vitro diseased cell model, said method comprising: (a) administering a test agent to a vaccination site (VS) culture comprising a first substantially planar matrix, a plurality of cells consisting of endothelial cells and/or epithelial cells attached to the first matrix and a population of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), under conditions promoting test agent-directed maturation of dendritic cell precursors present in the population of PBMCs; (b) transferring dendritic cells matured in the VS culture of (a) to a three-dimensional artificial lymphoid tissue equivalent (LTE) culture comprising a second matrix and a plurality of lymphocytes attached to the second matrix and culturing the LTE culture under conditions promoting activation of the lymphocytes by matured dendritic cells; (c) adding diseased cells to the LTE culture of (b); and (d) evaluating the viability of the diseased cells in the culture of (c), thereby evaluating a test agent in in vitro diseased cell model.