The present disclosure relates generally to bacterial delivery vehicles for use in efficient transfer of a desired payload into a target bacterial cell. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to bacterial delivery vehicles with desired host ranges based on the presence of a chimeric receptor binding protein (RBP) composed of a fusion between the N-terminal region of a RBP derived from a lambda-like bacteriophage and the C-terminal region of a different RBP.

The present invention concerns a production bacterial cell for producing phage particles or phage-derived delivery vehicles, said production bacterial cell stably comprising at least one phage structural gene(s) and at least one phage DNA packaging gene(s), said phage structural gene(s) and phage DNA packaging gene(s) being derived from a first type of bacteriophage,

wherein the expression of at least one of said phage structural gene(s) and/or at least one of said phage DNA packaging gene(s) in said production bacterial cell is controlled by at least one induction mechanism, and

wherein said production bacterial cell is from a bacterial species or strain different from the bacterial species or strain from which said first type of bacteriophage comes and/or that said first type of bacteriophage targets.

The invention relates to C. acnes carrying DNA vectors with a C. acnes phage packaging signal and a gene of interest. The invention encompasses a C. acnes producer cell carrying DNA vectors, with a C. acnes phage packaging signal and a gene of interest, for the production of phage-derived particles that can robustly transduce C. acnes receiver cell allowing transgene expression. The invention encompasses C. acnes phage-derived particles carrying these vectors, C. acnes containing these vectors or modified by transduction of these phage-derived particles, and methods of using these phage-derived particles.

Provided are compositions and methods for selectively reducing the amount of antibiotic resistant and/or virulent bacteria in a mixed bacteria population, or for reducing any other type of unwanted bacteria in a mixed bacteria population. The compositions and methods involve targeting bacteria that are differentiated from other members of the population by at least one unique clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) targeted DNA sequence. The compositions and methods can be readily adapted to target any bacteria or any bacteria plasmid, or both.

Provided are compositions and methods for selectively reducing the amount of antibiotic resistant and/or virulent bacteria in a mixed bacteria population, or for reducing any other type of unwanted bacteria in a mixed bacteria population. The compositions and methods involve targeting bacteria that are differentiated from other members of the population by at least one unique clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) targeted DNA sequence. The compositions and methods can be readily adapted to target any bacteria or any bacteria plasmid, or both.

The present disclosure provides, in part, a priming and boosting vector-based platform to develop vaccines against pathogens that is tailored to elicit a broad T cell response targeting conserved viral epitopes. The universal vaccines are prepared against an immunogen of an infectious pathogenic organism selected from a virus, a bacteria, a fungus or a protozoan comprising at least one ribonucleic acid (RNA) polynucleotide comprising an open reading frame encoding at least one polypeptide antigen or an immunogenic fragment thereof, wherein the polypeptide antigen, or the immunogenic fragment thereof, comprises a conserved internal protein that is enriched in CD8+ T cell recognition antigens. The effectiveness of the priming and boosting platform is tested in a humanized mouse model comprising a fully functional human immune system.

The present invention concerns a production bacterial cell for producing phage particles or phage-derived delivery vehicles, said production bacterial cell stably comprising at least one phage structural gene(s) and at least one phage DNA packaging gene(s), said phage structural gene(s) and phage DNA packaging gene(s) being derived from a first type of bacteriophage, wherein the expression of at least one of said phage structural gene(s) and/or at least one of said phage DNA packaging gene(s) in said production bacterial cell is controlled by at least one induction mechanism, and wherein said production bacterial cell is from a bacterial species or strain different from the bacterial species or strain from which said first type of bacteriophage comes and/or that said first type of bacteriophage targets.

The invention relates to C. acnes strains carrying DNA vectors for the production of recombinant C. acnes phages. The invention encompasses a C. acnes producer cell carrying DNA vectors, with a template for recombination with C. acnes phage genome leading to the insertion of a gene of interest, for the production of recombinant phages that can lead to the transgene expression into C. acnes infected by the recombinant phage. The invention encompasses, C. acnes strains containing these vectors, C. acnes recombinant phages and methods of using these recombinant phages.

Provided are compositions and methods for selectively reducing the amount of antibiotic resistant and/or virulent bacteria in a mixed bacteria population, or for reducing any other type of unwanted bacteria in a mixed bacteria population. The compositions and methods involve targeting bacteria that are differentiated from other members of the population by at least one unique clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) targeted DNA sequence. The compositions and methods can be readily adapted to target any bacteria or any bacteria plasmid, or both.

Provided are compositions and methods for selectively reducing the amount of antibiotic resistant and/or virulent bacteria in a mixed bacteria population, or for reducing any other type of unwanted bacteria in a mixed bacteria population. The compositions and methods involve targeting bacteria that are differentiated from other members of the population by at least one unique clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) targeted DNA sequence. The compositions and methods can be readily adapted to target any bacteria or any bacteria plasmid, or both.