This disclosure describes, in one aspect, a method for identifying &bgr-glucan binding to immune cells of a subject. Generally, the method includes obtaining a blood sample from the subject, the blood sample comprising immune cells, adding soluble &bgr-glucan to at least a portion of the blood sample and incubating the mixture under conditions allowing the soluble &bgr-glucan to bind to the immune cells, and detecting soluble &bgr-glucan bound to the immune cells. In another aspect, this disclosure describes a method that generally includes identifying the subject as a low binder of &bgr-glucan, and co-administering to the subject a soluble &bgr-glucan and an antibody preparation capable of converting the subject from a low binder to a high binder.
