Timely development of vaccines and antiviral drugs is critical to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Current methods for quantifying vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies involve the use of pseudoviruses, such as the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S) pseudotyped lentivirus. However, these pseudoviruses contain structural proteins foreign to SARS-CoV-2, and require days to infect and express reporter genes. Here, the present application discloses composition and methodology for making and using a new hybrid alphavirus-SARS-CoV-2 (Ha-CoV-2) particle for rapid and accurate quantification of neutralization antibodies and viral variants.

The present invention relates to a process for producing an immunogenic live attenuated Chikungunya virus, as well as pharmaceutical compositions comprising the same.

This disclosure provides modified recombinant retroviruses comprisings a transgene encoding a protein with a heterologous secretion signal, containing a 2A-peptide or peptide-like coding sequence operably linked to a heterologous polynucleotide, The disclosure further relates to cells and vector expressing or comprising such vectors and methods of using such modified vectors in the treatment of disease and disorders.

The present invention relates to a process for producing an immunogenic live attenuated Chikungunya virus, as well as pharmaceutical compositions comprising the same.

Synthetic alphavirus-derived replicon expression systems comprising nucleic acid sequences encoding at least one modified nonstructural protein, and synthetic nucleic acid sequences encoding at least one heterologous protein are described. Methods of producing at least one heterologous protein in a cell, or of inducing an immune response in a subject by administering and/or expressing the synthetic alphavirus-derived replicon expression systems are provided.

This disclosure provides ribonucleic acid (RNA) polynucleotides encoding replication-competent viral genomes that, when introduced to a subject, induce an active viral replication. The RNA may be provided naked or with an artificial RNA delivery system. The viral genome may be a full-length genome of an attenuated viral strain. For example, the RNA may encode an attenuated Chikungunya or yellow fever virus. The artificial RNA delivery system may be a lipid particle such as a lipid nanoparticle (LNP), a nanostructure lipid carrier (NLC), or a cationic nanoemulsion (CNE). This disclosure also provides methods of inducing an immune response, including protective immunity, by administering to a subject an RNA polynucleotide that encodes a replication-competent viral genome in an amount sufficient to cause viral replication in the subject. The immune response may include inducing the production of neutralizing antibodies at a level comparable to inoculation with a live-attenuated virus.

The present disclosure provides compositions and methods for detecting the presence of neutralizing antibodies in a sample. Unlike conventional assays, the methods provided herein do not require the use of live virus or virus pseudoparticles to identify neutralizing antibodies.

Timely development of vaccines and antiviral drugs is critical to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Current methods for quantifying vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies involve the use of pseudoviruses, such as the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S) pseudotyped lentivirus. However, these pseudoviruses contain structural proteins foreign to SARS-CoV-2, and require days to infect and express reporter genes. Here, the present application discloses composition and methodology for making and using a new hybrid alphavirus-SARS-CoV-2 (Ha-CoV-2) particle for rapid and accurate quantification of neutralization antibodies and viral variants.

Described herein are methods for inactivation of viruses with high yield and recovery, and compositions produced by such methods.

The present disclosure provides compositions and methods for detecting the presence of neutralizing antibodies in a sample. Unlike conventional assays, the methods provided herein do not require the use of live virus or virus pseudoparticles to identify neutralizing antibodies.