The disclosure relates to a fusion protein comprising at least a first and a second peptide, wherein the second peptide comprises a targeting region and a first and a second interaction region, the second peptide is located on the surface of the fusion protein; the second peptide comprises at least two interaction pairs, wherein an interaction pair is formed by an amino acid of the first interaction region and an amino acid of the second interaction region, the interaction between the amino acids of an interaction pair is covalent or non-covalent; and at least one interaction pair is a covalent interaction pair in which the amino acids are covalently bound, and to virus like particles (VLP) comprising the fusion protein for use as drug delivery system. Also provided are polynucleotides encoding the fusion protein, suitable expression vectors, host cells, production methods for the fusion protein and the VLP comprising the fusion protein.

A method of using a virus-like particle from a polyomavirus having a first nucleic acid as a cargo to detect a second nucleic acid. The method includes providing the virus-like particle from the polyomavirus having the first nucleic acid as the cargo, and detecting, via the virus-like particle from the polyomavirus, the second nucleic acid.

The invention relates to VLP derived from human polyoma virus loaded with a drug (cargo) as a drug delivery system for transporting said drug into the CNS, in particular of living humans.

The invention relates to the finding that virus like particles (VLPs) can be loaded with immunostimulatory substances, in particular with DNA oligonucleotides containing non-methylated C and G (CpGs). Such CpG-VLPs are dramatically more immunogenic than their CpG-free counterparts and induce enhanced B and T cell responses. The immune response against antigens optionally coupled, fused or attached otherwise to the VLPs is similarly enhanced as the immune response against the VLP itself. In addition, the T cell responses against both the VLPs and antigens are especially directed to the Th1 type. Antigens attached to CpG-loaded VLPs may therefore be ideal vaccines for prophylactic or therapeutic vaccination against allergies, tumors and other self-molecules and chronic viral diseases.

The present invention relates to compositions of virus-like particles for the introduction of RNA-interference (RNAi-) inducing molecules into eukaryotic cells and methods for the cell type-specific transduction of a plurality of eukaryotic cells with RNAi-inducing molecules. The present invention furthermore relates to methods for a diagnosis, prevention and/or treatment of diseases or disease states associated with an increased expression rate of at least one endogenous gene, and/or with the undesired expression of at least one endogenous gene and/or foreign nucleic acids, in particular viral nucleic acids.

Methods of eliciting an immune response to a JC polyomavirus (JCV) by administering an effective amount of an immunogenic composition including an isolated JCV VP1 polypeptide or a nucleic acid encoding the VP1 polypeptide to a subject are provided. VP1 polypeptides and immunogenic compositions suitable for use in the methods are provided, including JCV genotype 2 VP1 polypeptides and/or JCV genotype 3 polypeptides. Methods of identifying a subject at risk of developing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) are also provided. In some embodiments, the methods include obtaining a biological sample from a subject, detecting presence or absence of JCV neutralizing antibodies in the sample from the subject, and identifying that the subject is at risk of developing PML if there is an absence of detectable JCV neutralizing antibodies in the sample from the subject.

The invention relates to a method for purifying compositions containing virus-like particles (VLP), wherein a VLP-containing composition is filtered through a filter medium, in particular through a membrane, having a molecular weight cut off (MWCO) of more than 30 kDa, and the cell culture supernatant of VLP-expressing cells is used as a VLP-containing composition. The invention further relates to a VLP-containing composition which can be produced by this method.

Disclosed herein are methods of eliciting an immune response against a polyomavirus (for example, BKV serotype I (BKV-I), BKV serotype II (BKV-II), BKV serotype III (BKV-III) and/or BKV serotype IV (BKV-IV)) and methods of treating or inhibiting polyomavirus-associated pathology (such as polyomavirus-associated nephropathy, BKV-associated hemorrhagic cystitis, or JC virus-associated progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy; PML). Further disclosed are immunogenic compositions of use in the disclosed methods. Also disclosed are methods of selecting an organ transplant donor and/or recipient including detecting whether the prospective donor and/or recipient has BKV serotype-specific (such as BKV serotype IV-specific) neutralizing antibodies.

The present invention provides murine monoclonal antibody molecules that bind to Merkel cell carcinoma (MCV) polypeptides.

Disclosed is an immunostimulator containing virus-like particles, in which the virus-like particles contain an outer coat protein containing an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID No. 1, SEQ ID No. 26, SEQ ID No. 33, SEQ ID No. 35, SEQ ID No. 37, SEQ ID No. 39, SEQ ID No. 41, SEQ ID No. 43 and SEQ ID No. 45; the outer coat protein constitutes an outer coat of the virus-like particles; and the virus-like particles do not substantially contain a genome DNA of SV40.