The present invention provides for the intratumoral delivery of at least one immunostimulatory cytokine in combination with at least one checkpoint inhibitor. In particular, it provides delivery of a plasmid encoding the immunostimulatory cytokine using intratumoral electroporation. The checkpoint inhibitor may be administered systemically or encoded on a plasmid and delivered using intratumoral electroporation. The checkpoint inhibitor may be delivered contemporaneously with or after treatment with the immunomodulatory cytokine.

The present invention provides regulatable biocircuit systems. Such systems provide modular and tunable protein expression systems in support of the discovery and development of therapeutic modalities.

Disclosed herein, in certain embodiments, are recombinant myxoma viruses (MYXVs) and nucleic acid constructs encoding the recombinant MYXVs. In some embodiments, the MYXVs are engineered to inactivate or attenuate an activity or expression level of an M153 protein. In some embodiments, the MYXVs are engineered to express one or more transgenes such as a tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-12 (IL-12), or decorin. Also disclosed herein, in certain embodiments, are methods of using the MYXVs. Some embodiments include providing a MYXV as described herein to a subject in need thereof.

Genetically programmed microorganisms, such as bacteria or virus, pharmaceutical compositions thereof, and methods of modulating and treating cancers are disclosed.

The present invention provides novel viral vectors for use in human therapy, particularly for use in in the treatment of a disease or disorder which has its origin in the brain or is brain based, particularly a PGRN-associated neurodegenerative disease or disorder including frontotemporal degenerative disease or disorder such as Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease. The invention also provides viral vectors for use in the treatment of brain tumors, particularly brain tumors selected from the group consisting of glioblastoma, glioma, ganglioneuroblastoma, astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, PNET (primitive neuroectodermal), medulloblastoma, CNS lymphoma, and neuroblastoma, or any other CNS tumor and further in the treatment of brain metastasis, originating from any forms of breast, lung, colon, testicular, renal carcinomas and melanoma, or any other solid tumor, and any hematologic tumor, comprising all forms of leukemia and lymphomas. Further, the viral vectors may be used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases and/or allergic diseases.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to compositions and methods of enhancing lymphocytes' ability to treat cancer patients. Embodiments relate to a polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid encoding a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), a nucleic acid encoding an Oxygen-Dependent Degradation domain (ODD), and a nucleic acid encoding one or multiple sequences of Hypoxia-Response Element (HRE).

Anti-IL-12/IL-23p40 antibodies, such as ustekinumab, are used in methods and compositions for safe and effective treatment of psoriasis, particularly moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis, in pediatric patients. The methods and compositions address a clear unmet medical need in this patient population.

The present disclosure relates extracellular vesicles, e.g., exosomes, comprising an antigen-binding moeity, e.g., a single-domain antigen-binding moeity, e.g., a vNAR, a VHH, or a fragment thereof, that specifically binds transferrin receptor, and methods of making and using the same.

The present disclosure relates generally to compositions and methods for modulating signal transduction mediated by interleukin-12 and interleukin-23. In particular, the disclosure provides novel variants of interleukin-12 subunit p40 with reduced binding affinity to IL-12Rβ1. Also provided are compositions and methods useful for producing such IL-12p40 polypeptide variants, as well as methods for modulating IL-12p40-mediated signaling, and/or for the treatment of conditions associated with perturbations of signal transduction mediated by IL-12p40.

Modified alphaviruses encoding a SARS-CoV-2 spike protein or antigenic segment of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein are provided. The modified alphaviruses include replicative defective Sindbis viruses. The modified viruses express or are administered with an immunomodulatory agent that is an agonist antibody or antigenbinding fragment thereof, or a cytokine, or a combination thereof. Pharmaceutical compositions that include the modified alphaviruses and methods of using the modified alphaviruses and compositions that contain them are provided. The compositions are used to stimulate a therapeutic or protective effect against SARS-CoV-2 infection that includes humoral and cell mediated responses.