Provided herein are agents, compositions, and methods useful for animal health, e.g., for altering the level, activity, or metabolism of one or more microorganisms resident in a host insect (e.g., arthropod, e.g., insect, e.g., pathogen vector), the alteration resulting in a decrease in the fitness of the host. The invention features a composition that includes an agent (e.g., phage, peptide, small molecule, antibiotic, or combinations thereof) that can alter the host's microbiota in a manner that is detrimental to the host. By disrupting microbial levels, microbial activity, microbial metabolism, or microbial diversity, the agents described herein may be used to decrease the fitness of a variety of insects that carry vector-borne pathogens that cause disease in animals.

There are disclosed an effective dosage of major royal jelly protein 1 for treating various skin ailments. Instead of administering royal jelly, an effective amount of the active constituent of royal jelly, MRJP1 is administered either alone or in combination with other topical pharmaceuticals.

A pharmaceutical composition comprising a peptide-polynucleotide complex, and methods of use thereof.

The present invention relates to a cell therapy method for treating neurodegenerative diseases, which includes administering a therapeutically effective amount of a regulatory T cell to an individual in need thereof. The regulatory T cell may be an amyloid-beta specific regulatory T cell induced by administering amyloid-beta peptide and bee venom phospholipase A2 (bvPLA2).

Disclosed herein are novel synthetic polypeptides and uses thereof in the preparation of liposomes. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the synthetic polypeptide comprises a membrane lytic motif, a masking motif, and a linker configured to link the membrane lytic motif and the masking motif. The linker is cleavable by a stimulus, such as, light, protease, or phosphatase. Once being coupled to a liposome, the exposure to the stimulus cleaves the linker that results in the separation of the masking motif from the membrane lytic motif, which in turn exerts membrane lytic activity on the liposome that leads to the collapse of the intact structure of the liposome, and releases the agent encapsulated in the liposome to the target site. Also disclosed herein are methods of diagnosing or treating a disease in a subject by use of the present liposomes.

Provided herein are agents, compositions, and methods for agricultural pest control, e.g., for altering the level, activity, or metabolism of one or more microorganisms resident in a host insect (e.g., agricultural pest), the alteration resulting in a decrease in the fitness of the host. The invention features a composition including an agent (e.g., phage, peptide, small molecule, antibiotic, or combinations thereof) that can alter the host's microbiota in a manner that is detrimental to the host. By disrupting microbial levels, microbial activity, microbial metabolism, and/or microbial diversity, the agents described herein may decrease the fitness of a variety of insects that are considered agricultural pests.

The present invention relates to a bee venom-purifying method comprising a virus clearance process and a composition for preventing or treating inflammatory disease by using same, the method comprising the steps of: (a) preparing a bee venom solution containing bee venom; (b) adjusting the pH of the bee venom solution prepared in step (a) into 2.0 to 4.0 by acid treatment to primarily deactivate viruses; and (c) filtering the pH-adjusted bee venom solution of step (b) through a nanofilter of 10 to 20 nm to secondarily remove viruses.

Provided herein are methods and compositions useful for human health, e.g., for targeting one or more microorganisms resident in a host insect (e.g., arthropod, e.g., insect, e.g., pathogen vector), the modulation resulting in a decrease in the fitness of the host. The invention features a composition that includes a modulating agent (e.g., phage, peptide, small molecule, antibiotic, or combinations thereof) that can alter the host's microbiota in a manner that is detrimental to the host. By disrupting microbial levels, microbial activity, microbial metabolism, or microbial diversity, the modulating agent described herein may be used to decrease the fitness of a variety of insects that carry vector-borne pathogens that cause disease in humans.

This invention relates to modified antibiotic peptides, particularly for use in medicine. The invention further relates to composite and methods for destroying microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses or fungi, and to methods for treating microbial infections. The object of the invention is to develop novel antibiotic peptides, particularly having enhanced antibiotic activity and an expanded spectrum of activity against other strains of bacteria, particularly gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus. According to the invention, the object is attained in a first aspect by a peptide according to claim 1.

The present disclosure relates to a peptide comprising at least five amino acid residues, wherein at least one amino acid residue is modified to an epsilon-lysine, delta-ornithine, gamma-2, 4-diaminobutyric acid, beta-2,3-diaminopropionic acid, with the peptide also comprising at least one non-epsilon lysine, non-delta-ornithine, non-gamma-2, 4-diaminobutyric acid or non-beta-2,3-diaminopropionic acid, and wherein the peptide displays a reduced or no cytotoxicity when compared to an equivalent non-modified peptide. In a preferred embodiment, the modifications are to the melittin or mastoparan B peptides, and comprise the substitution of at least one -lysine residue for an -lysine residue, and the modified peptides display antimicrobial activity. The present disclosure is also directed to pharmaceutical compositions, kits, ophthalmic preparations comprising the modified antimicrobial peptides and use of the modified antimicrobial peptides in methods of inhibiting growth of microorganisms, methods of managing microbial colonization, methods of treating proliferative disease, and methods of treating inflammation. The present disclosure also relates to a method of improving the therapeutic index (safety) of an isolated peptide comprising the aforementioned modification.