The present disclosure provides compositions and methods useful for preventing and treating Zika virus infection. As described herein, the compositions and methods are based on development of immunogenic compositions that include virus-like particles (VLPs) which comprise one or more Moloney Murine leukemia virus (MMLV) core proteins and include one or more Zika epitopes, such as, for example, from Zika envelope glycoprotein E and the Zika structural protein NS1 including variants thereof.

The invention relates to the use of a recombinant porcine adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector comprising a peptide-modified porcine AAV serotype 1 (AAVpol) capsid in gene therapy of muscle and/or central nervous system (CNS) disorders, in particular neuromuscular diseases such as genetic neuromuscular diseases.

The present invention provides compositions and methods of use comprising a chimeric dengue virus E glycoprotein comprising a dengue virus E glycoprotein backbone, which comprises amino acid substitutions that introduce an epitope that is recognized by an antibody from a dengue virus serotype that is different from the dengue virus serotype of the dengue virus E glycoprotein backbone.

The application relates to the attenuation of a flavivirus, such as a West Nile Virus (WNV), Zika virus (ZIKV), Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV), Dengue Virus (DV), in particular DV4, or Usutu virus. The application notably provides a live and attenuated flavivirus, such as a live and attenuated WNV or ZIKV, comprising a mutated M protein. Said mutated M protein comprises or consists of a sequence, wherein at least the amino acids at positions 36 and 43 in said sequence are mutated. The application also provides embodiments deriving from said live and attenuated flavivirus, such as a WNV or ZIKV, such as nucleic acids, cells, cDNA clones, immunogenic compositions as well as uses and methods.

The present application generally relates to the development of a vaccine, or the production of antibodies, capable of providing improved protection against a virus associated with ADF, such as Zika, Dengue and Ebola, based on novel antigenic peptides identified using an informational spectrum method (ISM).

This disclosure describes a subunit vaccine for a flavivirus, methods of making the vaccine, and methods of using the vaccine. The flavivirus may include, is a mosquito-borne flavivirus, for example, Zika virus (ZIKV), dengue virus (DENV), Yellow Fever (YF) virus, and West Nile Virus (WNV). The subunit vaccine may be administered with an adjuvant.

Novel attenuating deletions of Zika virus E2 polypeptides are provided as are attenuated viruses comprising the deletions. Also provided are immunogenic compositions that comprise the attenuated viruses and methods of producing such viruses in cells (such as insect cells). Viruses of the embodiments can be used for immunization of animals to provide protection from the pathogenic effects of Zika virus infection.

The present invention provides compositions and methods of use comprising a chimeric dengue virus E glycoprotein comprising a dengue virus E glycoprotein backbone, which comprises amino acid substitutions that introduce a dengue virus E glycoprotein domain I and domain II hinge region from a dengue virus serotype that is different from the dengue virus serotype of the dengue virus E glycoprotein backbone.

Embodiments herein report compositions, uses and manufacturing of dengue virus constructs and live attenuated dengue viruses. Some embodiments concern a composition that includes, but is not limited to, a tetravalent dengue virus composition. In certain embodiments, compositions can include constructs of one or more serotypes of dengue virus, such as dengue-1 (DEN-1) virus, dengue-2 (DEN-2) virus, dengue-3 (DEN-3) or dengue-4 (DEN-4) virus constructs. In other embodiments, constructs disclosed herein can be combined in a composition to generate a vaccine against more one or more dengue virus constructs that may or may not be subsequently passaged in mammalian cells.

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.