Described herein is a process for protein purification, particularly a process for the purification of a glycoprotein, such as an HIV envelope protein, useful for vaccines or biotherapeutics.

The invention is directed to HIV-1 envelope proteins and peptides, and compositions comprising the same to increase the breadth of vaccine coverage of the V1 V2 env region of clade C HIV-1.

Disclosed are recombinant insect ferritin nanoparticles that can be used to display two different trimeric antigens at an equal ratio. Also disclosed are nucleic acids encoding the recombinant insect ferritin nanoparticles and methods of producing the recombinant insect ferritin nanoparticles. Methods for eliciting an immune response in a subject are also provided.

The present disclosure relates to methods for producing lentiviral vector-producing cells. Specifically the methods utilize two plasmids, rather than four, to provide the required packaging elements and transfer vector to a cell, allowing for the production of a large number of lentiviral producer cells, including suspension-based cells, and the production of high amounts of lentivirus. These methods allow for the production of cells that can be later induced to produce lentivirus, and can be tailored to include a specific gene of interest.

The present invention provides novel scaffolded HIV-1 vaccine immunogens. Some of the scaffolded immunogens contain a soluble gp140 trimer linked to the N-terminus of the nanoparticle subunit and a T-helper epitope that is fused via a short peptide spacer to the C-terminus of the nanoparticle subunit. Some other immunogens of the invention contain a soluble gp140 trimer protein that is linked to a stable nanoparticle via a short peptide spacer that is a T-helper epitope. Some of the scaffolded immunogens contain a gp140 trimer immunogen presented on a nanoparticle platform formed with I3-01 protein, E2p, or variants of protein 1VLW. Also provided in the invention are nucleic acids that encode the various vaccine immunogens described herein, and expression vectors and host cells harboring the nucleic acids. The invention further provides methods of using the scaffolded HIV-1 vaccine immunogens for preventing or treating HIV infections.

Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) containing HIV envelope antigen binding domains are disclosed. Nucleic acids, recombinant expression vectors, host cells, antigen binding fragments, and pharmaceutical compositions, relating to the CARs are also disclosed. Methods of treating or preventing HIV-infection in a subject, and methods of making CAR T cells are also disclosed. Results of treating or preventing HIV-infection, and results of making CAR T cells are also disclosed.

Described herein is a process for protein purification, particularly a process for the purification of a glycoprotein, such as an HIV envelope protein, useful for vaccines or biotherapeutics.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a recombinant HIV glycoprotein polypeptide in a plant and to trimeric complexes of the recombinant, plant-produced HIV glycoprotein polypeptide which mimic the native HIV Env complex. The invention also relates to nucleic acids encoding the recombinant polypeptides, expression vectors containing the aforementioned nucleic acids and to pharmaceutical compositions, uses and methods of eliciting an immune response against HIV in a subject using the recombinant polypeptides and trimeric complexes.

Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) containing HIV envelope antigen binding domains are disclosed. Nucleic acids, recombinant expression vectors, host cells, antigen binding fragments, and pharmaceutical compositions, relating to the CARs are also disclosed. Methods of treating or preventing HIV-infection in a subject, and methods of making CAR T cells are also disclosed. Results of treating or preventing HIV-infection, and results of making CAR T cells are also disclosed.

Disclosed herein are methods and compositions for treating a subject having or at risk of having an HIV infection. Disclosed herein are peptide immunogens and nucleic acids that have epitopes in which mutations are most likely to have deleterious effects on the HIV virus. An algorithm is disclosed for the selection of the epitopes based on the HIV fitness landscape, and it accounts for the effect of coupling mutations.