The invention relates to isolated recombinant analogues of flavivirus E-proteins comprising an analogue of a flavivirus E-protein fusion loop, wherein the analogue of the flavivirus E-protein fusion loop comprises at least one glycosylation site for an N-linked glycan that is not present in a natural flavivirus E-protein fusion loop sequence, wherein the at least one glycosylation site is an N-linked glycosylation sequon (Asn-X-Ser/Thr) and the Asn (N) residue of the sequon occupies any of positions 98-110 (DRGWGNGCGLFGK) of the natural flavivirus E-protein fusion loop amino acid sequence, wherein X is any amino acid residue except proline and Ser/Thr denotes a serine or threonine residue for use in an in vitro method for specific detection of anti-flavivirus antibody, diagnosis of flavivirus infection and/or to investigate exposure to flavivirus.

The disclosure relates to a polypeptide suitable for detecting antibodies against a flavivirus in an isolated biological sample having a flavivirus NS1 wing domain specific amino acid sequence, wherein no amino acid sequences from the NS1 ß-ladder domain of said flavivirus are present in the polypeptide. In an embodiment, the flavivirus is selected from Zika virus (ZIKV), West-Nile virus (WNV), Dengue virus types 1-4 (DENV1-4), tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), yellow fever virus (YFV) and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). Also disclosed is a method for producing said flaviviral NS1 wing domain specific polypeptides, a method for detecting antibodies specific for a first flavivirus species, the use of said flaviviral NS1 wing domain specific polypeptides for detecting antibodies as well as a reagent kit for detecting said flavivirus antibodies that has a flavivirus NS1 wing domain polypeptide.

The technology described herein is directed to CAR polypeptides and systems comprising repressible proteases. In combination with a specific protease inhibitor, the activity of said CAR polypeptides and systems and cells comprising them can be modulated. Also described herein are methods of using said CAR polypeptides and systems, for example to treat various diseases and disorders.

Embodiments herein report compositions, uses and manufacturing of dengue virus constructs and live attenuated dengue viruses. Some embodiments concern a composition that includes, but is not limited to, a tetravalent dengue virus composition. In certain embodiments, compositions can include constructs of one or more serotypes of dengue virus, such as dengue-1 (DEN-1) virus, dengue-2 (DEN-2) virus, dengue-3 (DEN-3) or dengue-4 (DEN-4) virus constructs. In other embodiments, constructs disclosed herein can be combined in a composition to generate a vaccine against more one or more dengue virus constructs that may or may not be subsequently passaged in mammalian cells.

This disclosure provides, among other things, amplifiable nucleic acid constructs for expressing a gene of interest in a cell, e.g., an erythroid cell. The amplifiable nucleic acid construct may contain the gene of interest and an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP)-responsive 5′ UTR, and may optionally further contain an RdRP-responsive 3′ UTR. RdRP may also be provided, e.g., on the same construct or a different construct.

Isolated monoclonal antibodies which bind to Zika virus envelope protein and related antibody-based compositions and molecules are disclosed. Also disclosed are therapeutic and diagnostic methods for using the antibodies.

The present invention is directed to the expression and secretion the Zika virus envelope protein. Elements of the pre-membrane and envelope sequence have been modified to enhance the expression of the envelope protein as a secreted product in the culture medium of transformed insect cell lines. The expressed and purified product is suitable as a vaccine antigen.

Provided herein is an isolated polynucleotide, which encodes alphavirus non-structural proteins nsp1, nsp2, nsp3 and nsp4 and a polypeptide comprising a coronavirus protein fused to a signal sequence and/or transmembrane domain. The coronavirus protein may be the receptor binding domain of the S1 subunit of coronavirus spike (S) protein. The polynucleotide such as RNA is useful for as a vaccine against coronavirus infection, especially, COVID-19 infection.

An aspect of the present invention is related to nucleic acid constructs capable of expressing a Zika antigen that elicits an immune response in a mammal against Zika virus, and methods of use thereof. Additionally, there are DNA plasmid vaccines capable of generating in a mammal an immune response against a Zika virus, comprising a DNA plasmid and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient, and methods of use thereof. The DNA plasmid is capable of expressing a Zika antigen in a cell of the mammal in a quantity effective to elicit an immune response in the mammal that is cross reactive against all Zika strains.

Chimeric flaviviruses that include non-coding regions, non-structural proteins, a capsid (C) protein and a portion of a premembrane (prM) signal sequence from an attenuated or wild-type dengue serotype 2 virus (DENV-2), and a portion of a prM signal sequence, a prM protein and at least a portion of an envelope (E) protein from a Zika virus (ZIKV) are described. Also described are immunogenic compositions and methods for eliciting an immune response in a subject, such as an immune response directed against ZIKV.