Disclosed herein are compositions that comprise engineered polynucleotides, pharmaceutical compositions comprising the same, methods of making the same, and methods of treatment comprising the compositions that comprise the engineered polynucleotides.

The present specification provides an antisense oligomer capable of causing simultaneous skipping of a plurality of exons in pre-mRNA of interest, and a pharmaceutical composition comprising the oligomer. The present specification also provides an antisense oligomer or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, or hydrate thereof which causes simultaneous skipping of two or more numerically consecutive exons from pre-mRNA of interest, the antisense oligomer comprising a base sequence complementary to a base sequence of a region including the vicinity of a donor of any intron in the pre-mRNA of interest, or a region including the vicinity of an acceptor of any intron in the pre-mRNA of interest, or a partial base sequence thereof.

The invention provides novel compounds, compositions and formulations of liposomes, microbubbles and/or nanodroplets, and emulsions thereof, that are useful in delivery of various nucleic acids and genes (e.g., single stranded RNA, DNA, si-RNA and CRISPR constructs), as well as methods of preparation and use thereof including methods of imaging and gene delivery using ultrasound activation.

The present disclosure describes a CRISPR nuclease cascade assay that can detect one or more target nucleic acids of interest of interest at attamolar (aM) (or lower) limits in about 10 minutes or less without the need for amplifying the target nucleic acids of interest. The CRISPR cascade assays utilize signal amplification mechanisms comprising various components including CRISPR nucleases, guide RNAs (gRNAs), blocked nucleic acid molecules, blocked primer molecules, and reporter moieties.

A modified antisense oligonucleotide of about 10 to about 40 nucleobases is disclosed. The oligonucleotide comprises a targeting sequence having a region complementary to at least one string of three or more identical contiguous nucleobases in a target sequence, wherein the target sequence comprises at least one additional nucleobase compared to the region of the targeting sequence and the at least one additional nucleobase has no complementary nucleobase in the region of the targeting sequence, and wherein the targeting region complementary to the at least one string of three or more identical contiguous nucleobases is internal to the targeting sequence.

A method of modifying a gene encoding or processed into a non-coding RNA molecule having no RNA silencing activity in a plant cell is disclosed. The method comprising introducing into the plant cell a DNA editing agent conferring a silencing specificity of the non-coding RNA molecule towards a target RNA of interest. A method of modifying a gene encoding or processed into a RNA silencing molecule in a plant cell is also disclosed. The method comprising introducing into the plant cell a DNA editing agent which redirects the silencing specificity of the non-coding RNA molecule towards a target RNA of interest. Plant cells, plant seeds, plants, and methods of generating plants are also disclosed.

Tissue for use as a transplant, which tissue is allogeneic or xenogeneic and respectively the tissue may express an MHC I molecule that is immunologically incompatible to the transplant recipient and/or may express an MHC II molecule immunologically incompatible to the transplant recipient. The tissue suitable for use as a transplant and the method for its production include a genetic alteration of the tissue that provides for immunologic compatibility of the tissue with a transplant recipient. In the tissue for use as a transplant, which tissue expresses allogeneic or xenogeneic MHC I and/or allogeneic or xenogeneic MHC II molecules, the expression of the allogeneic or xenogeneic MHC I is downregulated by at least 50% to up to 90%, preferably the expression of the allogeneic or xenogeneic MHC I is downregulated by at least 60%.

Provided is a nucleoside derivative represented by the following formula (1):

##STR00001##

or a salt thereof, wherein R.sup.1 represents an alkoxy group, a hydrogen atom or a halogen atom; R.sup.2 and R.sup.4, which may be the same as or different from each other, each represents a hydrogen atom, a protective group for a hydroxyl group, a phosphate group, a protected phosphate group, or —P(═O).sub.nR.sup.5R.sup.6 in which n represents 0 or 1, R.sup.5 and R.sup.6, which may be the same as or different from each other, each represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a protected hydroxyl group, a mercapto group, a protected mercapto group, an alkoxy group, a cyanoalkoxy group, an amino group, or a substituted amino group, provided that when n is 1, both R.sup.5 and R.sup.6 cannot be the hydrogen atom at the same time; R.sup.3 represents —(CH.sub.2).sub.mNHR.sup.7 in which m represents an integer of 1 to 6, R.sup.7 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkenyl group or a protective group for an amino group; and B represents a purin-9-yl group, a 2-oxo-pyrimidin-1-yl group, a substituted purin-9-yl group, or a substituted 2-oxo-pyrimidin-1-yl group.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to complexes comprising a muscle-targeting agent covalently linked to a molecular payload. In some embodiments, the muscle-targeting agent specifically binds to an internalizing cell surface receptor on muscle cells. In some embodiments, the molecular payload inhibits expression or activity of DUX4. In some embodiments, the molecular payload is an oligonucleotide, such as an antisense oligonucleotide or RNAi oligonucleotide.

The present disclosure provides compositions which shown preferential targeting or delivery of a nucleic acid composition to a particular organ. In some embodiments, the composition comprises a steroid or sterol, an ionizable cationic lipid, a phospholipid, a PEG lipid, and a permanently cationic lipid which may be used to deliver a nucleic acid.