Enhancement of in-vitro and in-vivo Human T Lymphocyte Activation via Cell Painting with Recombinant Chimeric Co-stimulatory B7-1:Fcγ1 Protein

T cells express co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces in both normal and pathologic settings; however, the possibility that expression of these co-stimulators may enable individual T cells to co-stimulate themselves has not been investigated. This study aims at assessing the possible potentiation of T cells activation and proliferation both in vitro and in vivo via enforced B7-1 expression on T lymphocytes using a non-genetic approach, i.e. cell painting, that comprises binding of recombinant B7-1 to plasma membrane-anchored palmitoylated protein A.