The present invention relates to methods and composition for use in the treatment of retinal degeneration, in particular retinal degeneration due to retinal pigment epithelium dysfunction.

The invention provide for recombinant AAV vectors comprising a miniaturized human micro-dystrophin gene and methods of using the recombinant vectors to reduce or prevent fibrosis in subjects suffering from muscular dystrophy.

A composition is disclosed that comprises at least one protein component of an RNA-guided endonuclease (RGEN) and at least one cell-penetrating peptide (CPP), wherein the RGEN protein component and CPP are covalently or non-covalently linked to each other in an RGEN protein-CPP complex. The RGEN protein-CPP complex can traverse (i) a cell membrane, or (ii) a cell wall and cell membrane, of a cell. The RGEN protein component of an RGEN protein-CPP complex in certain embodiments can be associated with a suitable RNA component to provide an RGEN capable of specific DNA targeting. Further disclosed are compositions comprising at least one protein component of a guide polynucleotide/Cas endonuclease complex and at least one CPP, as well as methods of delivering RGEN proteins into microbial cells, as well as methods of targeting DNA with RGENs.

The present disclosure describes methods and systems for use in the production of adeno-associated virus (AAV) particles, including recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) particles. In certain embodiments, the production process and system use Spodoptera frugiperda insect cells (such as Sf9 or Sf21) as viral production cells. In certain embodiments, the production process and system use Baculoviral Expression Vectors (BEVs) in the production of AAV particles. In certain embodiments, the production process and system allow for the controlled expression of AAV capsid proteins, such as VP1, VP2 and VP3.

This invention relates to viral vectors for delivery of alpha-L-iduronidase to the cornea of a subject and methods of using the same for treatment and prevention of corneal clouding and blindness in a subject due to mucopolysaccharidosis I.

The present invention provides a method of bioluminescence-driven optogenetic control of excitable cells. The excitable cell expresses a light-gated ion channel, and a luminescent protein can be expressed either in the excitable cell or in another cell proximal to the excitable cell. The methods of the invention can be used to desynchronize local activity of excitable cells in a mammalian tissue. The methods of the invention can be used to treat a disease or condition in a mammal, the disease or condition being related to bursting. The disease or condition can be Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, a sleep disorder, or a sensory-related disease or condition (e.g., attention deficit disorder or pain). The invention also provides a conjugate of containing a voltage-gated ion channel and a luminescent protein.

Disclosed are methods and compositions for treating a subject having a neurological disorder such as major depressive disorder (MDD). The methods and compositions may be utilized in order to inhibit trafficking of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide gated (HCN) channels or subunits thereof, in some embodiments, by inhibiting an interaction between the HCN channels or the subunits thereof and an auxiliary protein or a chaperone protein for the HCN channels or the subunits thereof such as tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR)-containing Rab8b interacting (TRIP8b) protein or a variant thereof. The HCN channels of the disclosed methods may comprise, for example, HCN1 subunits, HCN2 subunits, or a combination thereof. In the disclosed methods, trafficking of the HCN channels or subunits preferably results in inhibiting distal dendritic enrichment of HCN1 and HCN2 in pyramidal neurons of hippocampal area CA1.

The present invention provides a novel method of treatment for treating brain disorders that manifest oxidative stress by providing targeted populations of neurons with the ability to catabolize the acetylated amino acid derivative, N-acetylaspatic acid (NAA) and further supply extraphysiological levels of ATP to neurons via the targeted expression of the NAA catabolic enzyme aspartoacylase (ASPA) in neurons and astrocytes.

Recombinant viral vectors such as AAV vectors designed with expression cassettes that approach the natural packaging capacity of the virus, such as AAV are provided. The recombinant viral vectors reduce residual plasmid DNA impurities.

The present invention relates to compositions and methods for the treatment of myotonic dystrophy.