The present invention relates to a vaccine comprising a nucleic acid construct such as a DNA construct especially a nucleic acid construct comprising sequences encoding invariant chain operatively linked to antigenic protein or peptide encoding sequences. The present vaccine stimulates an enhanced immune response.

Disclosed are antigen delivery systems comprising a nanoparticle, wherein the nanoparticle is surface-modified with a cancer-specific cell targeting peptide and comprises an immunogenic HLA class I restricted peptide, wherein the HLA class I restricted peptide is a vaccine-dependent, immunogenic HLA class I restricted peptide; methods of treating a subject having cancer comprising administering said delivery systems; methods of killing cancer cells comprising contacting cancer cells delivery systems, wherein upon entry of the liposome into the cancer cells, the cancer cells present said peptide from said delivery system, wherein the cancer cells generate an immune response said peptide, and wherein the immune response to said peptide targets and kills the cancer cells presenting the vaccine-dependent, peptide; methods of generating a non-cancer secondary immune response that targets cancer cells comprising administering said delivery systems to a subject having cancer cells.

Disclosed are antigen delivery systems comprising a nanoparticle, wherein the nanoparticle is surface-modified with a cancer-specific cell targeting peptide and comprises an immunogenic HLA class I restricted peptide, wherein the HLA class I restricted peptide is a vaccine-dependent, immunogenic HLA class I restricted peptide; methods of treating a subject having cancer comprising administering said delivery systems; methods of killing cancer cells comprising contacting cancer cells delivery systems, wherein upon entry of the liposome into the cancer cells, the cancer cells present said peptide from said delivery system, wherein the cancer cells generate an immune response said peptide, and wherein the immune response to said peptide targets and kills the cancer cells presenting the vaccine-dependent, peptide; methods of generating a non-cancer secondary immune response that targets cancer cells comprising administering said delivery systems to a subject having cancer cells.

The disclosure provides methods for generating an optimized nucleotide sequence encoding an engineered influenza structural protein and the optimized nucleotide sequences obtained therefrom. The optimized nucleotide sequences can be used in a reverse genetics system to facilitate the rescue of infectious influenza virus containing the engineered structural proteins and/or enhance viral titers. Also provided are methods of preparing an influenza vaccine composition using the optimized nucleotide sequences, as well as methods of inducing an immune response using the influenza vaccine composition.

The disclosure provides methods for generating an optimized nucleotide sequence encoding an engineered influenza structural protein and the optimized nucleotide sequences obtained therefrom. The optimized nucleotide sequences can be used in a reverse genetics system to facilitate the rescue of infectious influenza virus containing the engineered structural proteins and/or enhance viral titers. Also provided are methods of preparing an influenza vaccine composition using the optimized nucleotide sequences, as well as methods of inducing an immune response using the influenza vaccine composition.

An apparatus for vaccine generation includes a syringe with a cavity that includes a solution with photosensitizers. Microbial particles are added to the solution. A light source is capable of emitting one or more wavebands of light that are effectively absorbed by the one photosensitizers to generate singlet oxygen in the solution and other radical species that rapidly react with and damage lipids, proteins, DNA, and RNA of the microbial particles. This damage produces immunogens that can be applied as a vaccine to viruses and other infectious microbial particles. A plunger that fits within a proximal opening in the syringe is used for forcing the solution including the immunogens through the filter and out of the syringe while the photosensitizers, debris and unwanted microbial particles are trapped within the filter.

The present specification discloses recombinant nucleic acid constructs encoding an immunogenic multiepitope polypeptide comprising two or more polypeptides, recombinant nucleic acid constructs encoding at least two epitopes from two or more internal proteins of influenza virus, compositions comprising such recombinant nucleic acid constructs and methods of eliciting a T cell immune response against an influenza virus in a vertebrate using such recombinant nucleic acid constructs and compositions.

The present specification discloses recombinant nucleic acid constructs encoding an immunogenic multiepitope polypeptide comprising two or more polypeptides, recombinant nucleic acid constructs encoding at least two epitopes from two or more internal proteins of influenza virus, compositions comprising such recombinant nucleic acid constructs and methods of eliciting a T cell immune response against an influenza virus in a vertebrate using such recombinant nucleic acid constructs and compositions.

The present invention concerns methods of generating CTLs that are able to target at least one antigen from two or more viruses. The method includes exposing mixtures of peptides for different antigens to the same plurality of PBMCs and, at least in certain aspects, expanding the cells in the presence of IL4 and IL7.

The invention relates to compositions comprising a nucleic acid that encodes a peptide or a peptide that induces an immune response in an animal or a mammal that is protective against infection by one or more pathogens. In addition, the invention relates to vaccines comprising compositions and to method for treating and preventing an infection in animals and mammals such as humans.