The disclosure relates to tropical diseases such as viral mosquito borne illnesses and the treatment thereof. The invention includes ribonucleic acid vaccines and combination vaccines, as well as methods of using the vaccines and compositions comprising the vaccines for treating and preventing tropical disease.

Compositions and methods are described for inducing an immune response against an immunogen in humans. The induced immune response is obtained by administering a heterologous prime-boost combination of an in vitro transcribed (IVT) self-replicating RNA (repRNA) and an adenovirus vector. The compositions and methods can be used to provide a protective immunity against a disease, such as a viral infection or a cancer, in humans.

The invention relates to a vaccine comprising live attenuated recombinant alphavirus comprising mutated capsid protein. The invention also relates to a method of preventing a subject from contracting an alphaviral infection that would otherwise produce clinical signs of disease. In an embodiment the mutated capsid protein is Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) capsid protein having a mutated nucleolar localisation signal/sequence (NoLS), preferably the mutant NLS 101/95.

The invention features modified alphavirus or flavivirus virus-like particles (VLPs). The invention provides methods, compositions, and kits featuring the modified VLPs. The invention also features methods for enhancing production of modified VLPs for use in the prevention or treatment of alphavirus and flavivirus-mediated diseases. The invention also provides methods for delivering agents to a cell using the modified VLPs.

The present disclosure relates to methods for transiently activating temperature-sensitive agents in one or more cells, for example by contacting one or more cells with a temperature-sensitive agent and transiently incubating the cells at a permissive temperature for inducing an activity of the temperature-sensitive agent in the cells. Additionally, the present disclosure relates to methods of contacting one or more cells in a subject with a temperature-sensitive agent and then lowering the subject's core body temperature to a permissive temperature for inducing an activity of the temperature-sensitive agent in the cells. The disclosure also relates to methods of contacting one or more cells in a subject with a temperature-sensitive agent, maintaining the subject's surface body temperature at a permissive temperature for inducing an activity of the temperature-sensitive agent in the cells. Further disclosed are methods of treating a subject with a temperature-sensitive therapeutic agent.

The invention features compositions and methods for the prevention or treatment of one or more strains of Chikungunya virus, as well as other alphavirus-mediated diseases.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to nucleic acid vaccines. The vaccines include one or more RNA polynucleotides having an open reading frame encoding one or more Chikungunya antigen(s), one or more Zika virus antigens, and one or more Dengue antigens. Methods for preparing and using such vaccines are also described.

There is provided a method of identifying a flavivirus infection selected from Zika virus (ZIKV), Dengue virus (DENV) and combination thereof in a subject, the method comprising determining whether a sample of the subject reacts with a peptide associated with a certain relative binding capacity. Also claimed are kits, isolated peptides, immune system stimulating compositions comprising specific peptides and a method of distinguishing ZIKV infection from DENV infection.

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

The present invention provides a particle comprising a polypeptide and at least one antigen, and a composition comprising thereof.