The present disclosure provides a virus-like particle (VLP) comprising a therapeutic polypeptide, and nucleic acids comprising nucleotide sequences encoding the components of the VLP. The present disclosure provides a virus-like particle (VLP) comprising a CRISPR/Cas effector polypeptide, and nucleic acids comprising nucleotide sequences encoding the components of the VLP. The present disclosure provides a system for making a VLP of the present disclosure, as well as methods of making the VLP.

The present invention provides methods for producing HIV-1 nanoparticle vaccines with enhanced immunogenicity. The methods entail (1) enzymatic digestion of glycan chain on the surface of a self-assembling nanoparticle vaccine displaying an HIV-1 Env derived trimer immunogen, or (2) expression of an HIV-1 nanoparticle construct in an expression system lacking normal glycosylation function for human proteins. Also provided in the invention are HIV-1 nanoparticle vaccines produced with the described methods. The invention further provides methods of using the HIV-1 nanoparticle vaccine compositions described herein in various therapeutic applications, e.g., for preventing or treating viral infections.

The invention relates to lentiviral vector particles pseudotyped with a determined heterologous viral envelope protein or viral envelope proteins originating from a RNA virus and which comprise in its genome at least one recombinant polynucleotide encoding at least one polypeptide(s) carrying epitope(s) of an antigen of a Plasmodium parasite capable of infecting a mammalian host. The lentiviral vector particles are used in order to elicit an immunological response against malaria parasites.

The present invention includes composition and methods for making multivalent vaccines for immunization against Flavivirus and/or arboviruses including a multivalent Virus Like Particles (VLP) and mixtures thereof, the method comprising: method of making a Flavivirus and/or arboviruses Virus Like Particles (VLP) comprising: inserting two or more nucleic acids that encode at least one Flavivirus protein into a lentiviral backbone vector; generating a lentivirus by transfecting a first cell line with the lentiviral backbone vector and isolating the lentivirus therefrom; transducing a second cell line with the lentivirus; culturing the transduced cell line under conditions in which the multivalent Flavivirus Virus Like Particles (VLP) are released from the cell line; and isolating the Flavivirus Virus Like Particles (VLP) from a culture supernatant, wherein a cell line makes a virus-specific VLP, and the VLPs are purified and then mixed in different combinations to make the multivalent vaccine.

HIV neutralizing peptides, sulfated HIV-1 envelope proteins and immunogenic fragments thereof are disclosed, as well as nucleic acids encoding these molecules and methods of producing these peptides, envelope proteins and fragments. Methods are also provided for the treatment or prevention of a human immunodeficiency type 1 (HIV-1 ) infection. The methods can include administering to a subject an HIV neutralizing peptide, sulfated HIV-1 envelope protein or immunogenic fragment thereof as disclosed herein. In several embodiments, administering the HIV neutralizing peptide, sulfated HIV-1 envelope protein or immunogenic fragment generates an immune response in a subject.

This disclosure provides HIV immunogens and use thereof for generating an immune response in a subject. Also disclosed is a method of isolating anti-HIV antibodies and use thereof. This disclosure further provides a method for treating or preventing a human immunodeficiency type 1 (HIV-1) infection in a subject using the disclosed HIV immunogens and/or antibodies.

The disclosure relates to a virus-like particle in which a protein complex is entrapped, ensuring the formation of the protein complex under physiological conditions, while protecting the protein complex during purification and identification. The disclosure further relates to the use of such virus-like particle for the isolation and identification of protein complexes.

The present invention provides novel scaffolded HIV-1 vaccine immunogens. Some of the scaffolded immunogens contain a soluble gp140 trimer linked to the N-terminus of the nanoparticle subunit and a T-helper epitope that is fused via a short peptide spacer to the C-terminus of the nanoparticle subunit. Some other immunogens of the invention contain a soluble gp140 trimer protein that is linked to a stable nanoparticle via a short peptide spacer that is a T-helper epitope. Some of the scaffolded immunogens contain a gp140 trimer immunogen presented on a nanoparticle platform formed with I3-01 protein, E2p, or variants of protein 1VLW. Also provided in the invention are nucleic acids that encode the various vaccine immunogens described herein, and expression vectors and host cells harboring the nucleic acids. The invention further provides methods of using the scaffolded HIV-1 vaccine immunogens for preventing or treating HIV infections.

Embodiments of immunogens based on the outer domain of HIV-1 gp120 and methods of their use and production are disclosed. Nucleic acid molecules encoding the immunogens are also provided. In several embodiments, the immunogens can be used to prime an immune response to gp120 in a subject, for example, to treat or prevent an HIV-1 infection in the subject.

Compositions and methods for inducing and isolating virus-like particles (VLPs), and for allowing real-time assessment of VLP-captured analytes obtained from targeted living mammalian cells, are provided.