Patent ID: 8288159

Claim:
A method of producing a biomolecule using an in vitro two culture cellular system, comprising: a) adding an exogenous antigen of interest to a vaccination site (VS) culture, wherein the VS culture comprises a first substantially planar matrix, a plurality of cells consisting of endothelial cells and/or epithelial cells attached to said first matrix and a population of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs); b) culturing the VS culture of a) in the presence of the antigen for a duration of time sufficient to mature dendritic cell precursors present in the population of PBMCs; c) transferring dendritic cells matured in the VS culture of b) to a three-dimensional artificial lymphoid tissue equivalent (LTE) culture, wherein the LTE culture comprises a second matrix and a plurality of lymphocytes attached to said second matrix; d) culturing the LTE culture of c) for a duration of time sufficient for lymphocyte activation; and e) harvesting a biomolecule produced by the activated lymphocytes, wherein said biomolecule is selected from the group consisting of cytokines, proteins and antibodies.