The present invention relates to recombinant oncolytic viruses comprising a vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), wherein the glycoprotein (G protein) of VSV is deleted; and which comprises a modified fusion protein (F protein) of Newcastle disease virus (NDV); and the hemagglutinin neuraminidase (HN) protein of NDV. The present invention further relates to nucleic acids encoding for the recombinant oncolytic virus and vectors comprising the nucleic acids. The present invention further relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising the rVSV of the invention, the nucleic acid or the vector, further to uses as gene delivery tool and/or for tumor detection. The present invention further relates to the recombinant oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) for use in medicine, in particular for the diagnosis, prevention and/or treatment of cancer.

The present invention provides a method and compositions utilizing the CRISPR system to disrupt a target gene in eukaryotic cells to produce double allele knock outs. The method finds use in producing afucosylated antibodies with enhanced ADCC activity.

The present disclosure provides novel compositions and methods for treating an infection by MERS-CoV. In particular, the present disclosure provides methods that entail administering agents having an anchoring domain that anchors the compound to the surface of a target cell, and a sialidase domain that can act extracellularly to inhibit infection of a target cell by MERS-CoV.

The present disclosure provides novel compositions and methods for treating an infection of the eye resulting from an infection of a member of the Picornavirdae virus family. In particular, the present disclosure provides compounds having an anchoring domain that anchors the compound to the surface of a target cell, and a sialidase domain that can act extracellularly to inhibit infection of a target cell by a pathogen, such as a virus. The present disclosure also comprises therapeutic compositions having sialidase activity, including protein based compounds having sialidase catalytic domains. Compounds of the disclosure can be used for treating pathogenic infection to the eye.

The present disclosure provides modified immune cells or precursors thereof (e.g. modified T cells) comprising a chimeric cell surface sialidase or a variant sialidase precursor protein. Compositions and methods of treatment are also provided.

The present disclosure relates to vaccine formulations and their use in treating and preventing Chagas Disease.

The development of a computationally optimized influenza HA protein that elicits broadly reactive immune response to all H5N1 influenza virus isolates is described. The optimized HA protein was developed through a series of HA protein alignments, and subsequent generation of consensus sequences, for clade 2 H5N1 influenza virus isolates. The final consensus HA amino acid sequence was reverse translated and optimized for expression in mammalian cells. Influenza virus-like particles containing the optimized HA protein are an effective vaccine against H5N1 influenza virus infection in animals.

Provided herein are compositions, methods, kits and systems for treating cells, tissues and subjects to alter age-related biology (e.g., to study or to treat age-related diseases and conditions). In particular, provided herein are compositions, methods, and uses for inhibition or modification of sialic acid or its cognate receptor to restore phagocytosis in aged cells.

The present invention provides a method of reducing the quantity of mucus in the respiratory tract of a subject with elevated levels of mucus in said respiratory tract. The method includes administering to the subject a compound or composition containing a therapeutically effective amount of a fusion protein comprising a sialidase or an active portion thereof and an anchoring domain. The therapeutically effective amount comprises an amount of the fusion protein that results in a reduction of the quantity of mucus in the respiratory tract after administration of the compound or composition when compared to the quantity of mucus present prior to administration of the compound or composition.

Described is a composition comprising a peptide which consists of 7-17 adjacent amino acids and comprises the hexamer TX.sub.1EX.sub.2X.sub.3E, where X.sub.1, X.sub.2, and X.sub.3 can be any natural or non-natural amino acid, and the peptide is cyclized and does not exhibit TNF receptor binding activity, and an inhibitor of viral neuraminidase.