Provided are means and methods for generating safe immune responses in humans against multiple clades of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The observed immune responses were improved over earlier reported immune responses in clinical trials.

The invention relates to an adenovirus comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a Helicobacter pylori neutrophil-activating protein (NAP) and/or a nucleic acid sequence encoding an immunologically equivalent fragment of NAP and a nucleic acid sequence encoding an immunomodulator capable of inducing an immune response in a subject. The adenovirus has enhanced clinical effects in terms of delaying tumor growth and prolonging survival.

The invention provides compositions and methods of treating subjects afflicted with a photoreceptor disorder. Methods for treating a subject suffering from a disorder characterized by photoreceptor cell degeneration are provided, wherein a gene encoding a photosensitive protein is introduced into a retinal cell of a subject. In one aspect of the invention, the retinal cells which receive the photosensitive protein include non-photoreceptor cells such as horizontal cells, amacrine cells, bipolar cells, and ganglion cells.

A delivery system that includes a recombinantly synthesized protein polymer with protease cleavage sites such as matrix metalloproteinase responsive sequences engineered within the protein polymer. The system may be used to treat cancer, wounds, or pathological conditions in other tissues that express excess protease relative to healthy tissue.

A method for treating a bone and soft tissue tumor, including administering a conditionally replicating adenovirus having a E1A gene under expression control of a Survivin promoter, to a subject in need thereof. A conditionally replicating adenovirus including a E1A gene under expression control of a Survivin promoter and the conditionally replicating adenovirus is not defective in a E3 region.

This document relates to methods and materials for producing immune responses against polypeptides involved in antibiotic resistance. For example, vaccines against polypeptides involved in antibiotic resistance as well as methods for vaccinating mammals against polypeptides involved in antibiotic resistance are provided.

Compositions and methods of activating dendritic cells with LMP1 and LMP1-activated dendritic cell based compositions and methods are effective for dendritic cell therapy and provide an adjuvant function for vaccine administration. LMP1 or LMP1-CD40 chimeric protein may be used to activate and mature dendritic cells. LMP1 and LMP1-activated dendritic cells act as an adjuvant to enhance the cellular immune response. Also disclosed herein are kits for activating dendritic cells and for preparing a vaccine formulation. Administration of the dendritic cells transfected with LMP1 can induce an immune response against cancer or infection. The mature dendritic cells may comprise an antigen and at least one cytokine in addition to LMP1. Use of LMP1 or LMP1-CD40 provides a way to activate and mature dendritic cells that retain functional and migratory abilities without the side effects that result from maturing the dendritic cells using PGE.sub.2.

The present invention discloses a modified interleukin 12 (nsIL-12) and its gene, recombinant vector and use in manufacture of a medicament for treatment of tumors. When the oncolytic adenovirus vector carrying the modified interleukin 12 gene targets tumor tissue, the modified interleukin 12 is continuously expressed at a low level and mainly distributed in the local tumor tissue, which improves the specificity to tumor cells and reduces the systemic toxicity of interleukin 12; the modified interleukin 12 shows stronger inhibitory effect on tumor growth in intraperitoneally disseminated tumors and orthotopic tumors, and has low toxicity. The modified interleukin 12 armed oncolytic viruses show excellent antitumor effects, with a significant regression of tumors and lower toxicity compared with the existing IL-12 armed virus.

This document relates to methods and materials for producing immune responses against polypeptides involved in antibiotic resistance. For example, vaccines against polypeptides involved in antibiotic resistance as well as methods for vaccinating mammals against polypeptides involved in antibiotic resistance are provided.

The present disclosurerelates to a vaccine composition, wherein the vaccine composition comprises an immune amount of fowl adenovirus Fiber-2 protein or an immune amount of a live vector recombined with gene of the fowl adenovirus Fiber-2 protein, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The vaccine composition can provide effective immune protection against different serotypes of adenoviruses and provide a protection rate of 100% at low levels of immunogenic components, showing good immunological efficacy.