Patent ID: 6884413

Claim:
A method of selectively inhibiting an immune response to one or more selected autoantigenic protein antigens of multiple sclerosis comprising: exposing purified or isolated antigen presenting cells (APCs), which present an autoantigenic protein antigen of multiple sclerosis against which selective inhibition of an immune response is desired, to an immunosuppressive composition comprising one or more factors secreted by a glioblastoma cell, wherein the one or more factors secreted by the glioblastoma cells have the following characteristics: (a) induce APCs to induce T cells to undergo apoptosis; (b) molecular weight greater than about 40 kDa; (c) ability to bind to anion, but not cation, exchange columns; (d) maintain an ability to induce APCs to induce T cells to undergo apoptosis (i) within the pH range of 2 to 11, (ii) following heat exposure up to 56° C., and (iii) following immunoprecipitation of TGF-β1, TGF-β2, TGF-β3, IL-6, calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP), and M-CSF from the composition; and (e) lose the ability to induce APCs to induce T cells to undergo apoptosis (i) following heat exposure above 56° C., or (ii) after exposure to trypsin; and introducing a therapeutically effective amount of the APCs exposed to the immunosuppressive composition into a subject in whom a selectively inhibited immune response to the antigen is desired, wherein introduction of the APCs inhibits the immune response of the subject to the antigen.