Embodiments of the disclosure concern systems, methods, and/or compositions for cultivation of mammalian viruses, including at least human noroviruses and sapoviruses within the Caliciviridae family of viruses. The ex vivo culture systems include intestinal enteroids in combination with bile or a functionally active fraction or component thereof. In specific embodiments, the culture system is utilized to test inactivation compounds for therapeutic or environmental efficacy and to test contaminated comestibles and/or environmental entities for determination of the presence of infectious virus. Furthermore, antiviral compositions may be tested using systems of the disclosure, including drugs, small molecule inhibitors, and biologies such as neutralizing monoclonal antibodies.

The present invention aims at establishing a novel means for purifying norovirus VLPs. There is provided a purification method of norovirus virus-like particles, comprising: contacting solution containing norovirus virus-like particles with support for hydroxyapatite chromatography, binding the virus-like particles to the support, subsequently washing the support with buffer, and then eluting the virus-like particles from the support with buffer containing phosphate, wherein the phosphate concentration of the buffer used for elution is less than 10 mM.

The present invention may be included in the field of biotechnology and it covers the improved production of recombinant proteins in insect cells or insect larvae as biofactories by a novel expression cassette. This expression cassette comprises nucleic acid sequences such as promoters, homologous regions (hr) as enhancers, and sequences encoding transcriptional regulators, for example, the baculovirus Ac-ie-01 cDNA, or any combination thereof, which are able to increase the quality and production efficiency of the recombinant proteins. Moreover, the present invention is also directed to the vectors themselves comprising the above mentioned nucleic acid sequences of the invention, cells or insects infected, transformed or transfected with those sequences or vectors, and methods for producing the recombinant proteins by using the aforesaid sequences, vectors, cells or insects.

The present invention provides nucleic acid-loaded virus-like particles (VLPs) that can be produced in plants and are designed to deliver a nucleic acid into mammalian cells. Also provided are pharmaceutical compositions comprising the nucleic acid-loaded VLPs, and methods of making and using the nucleic acid-loaded VLPs.

Disclosed herein are methods and compositions for calicivirus. Methods comprise in vitro cell culture systems used for diagnosis, identification, attenuation and other uses. Compositions comprise in vitro cell culture systems for calicivirus.

Methods of purifying virus-like particles (VLPs) that are substantially free of process contaminants and infectious agents. The methods incorporate, for example, low-pH treatment during harvest and/or inactivation by a solvent and/or detergent during VLP capture.

The present invention describes immunogenic compositions containing immunogenic polypeptides of Sapovirus, including immunogenic compositions containing antigens other than Sapovirus antigens, including antigens that may be used in immunization against pathogens that cause diarrheal diseases. Methods of eliciting an immune response with the immunogenic compositions as disclosed and methods of treating a Sapovirus infection are also described.

The present invention describes immunogenic compositions containing immunogenic polypeptides of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV), including immunogenic compositions containing antigens other than RHDV antigens, including antigens that may be used in immunization against pathogens that cause diarrheal diseases. Methods of eliciting an immune response with the immunogenic compositions as disclosed and methods of treating a RHDV infection are also described.