A method of producing dendritic gold nanoparticles by combining a gold precursor solution, a reducing agent, and a bifunctional peptide having an amine-rich amino acid sequence into a buffered aqueous solution in a single container, and agitating the mixture causing the formation of the dendritic gold nanoparticles having a surface with a positive charge and a second end portion of the bifunctional peptide exposed on the surface of the dendritic gold nanoparticles. The dendritic gold nanoparticles may be used to deliver therapeutic, diagnostic, and/or immunogenic amino acid sequences as portions of the bifunctional peptide.

The invention relates to compositions, methods and therapies for the treatment of inflammation caused by infection with Propionibacterium acnes. The compositions include a combination of peptide and anti-TNF. The peptide consists of a specific amino acid sequence or a peptide consisting of an amino acid sequence derived the specific amino acid sequence by deletion, substitution, insertion or addition of one or more amino acids. The administration of the peptide and anti-TNF in therapeutically effective amounts to a patient is effective to suppress, by immune response, inflammation caused by infection with Propionibacterium acnes.

Described is a vaccine against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). More specifically, described is a recombinant subunit vaccine comprising the ectodomain of the RSV-encoded Small Hydrophobic (SH) protein. The ectodomain of SH is referred to as SHe. The ectodomain is typically presented as an oligomer, or pentamer. Further described are antibodies, raised against the ectodomain or specific for the ectodomain, and their use for protecting a subject against RSV infection and/or for treatment of an infected subject.

A liposomal vaccine composition comprises a β-amyloid (Aβ)-derived peptide antigen displayed on the surface of the liposome. The vaccine composition also comprises a peptide comprising a universal T-cell epitope encapsulated within the liposome. The vaccine composition also comprises an adjuvant, which may form part of the liposome and may be displayed at least in part on the surface of the liposome. These vaccine compositions are used for treating, preventing, inducing a protective immune response against or alleviating the symptoms associated with an amyloid-beta associated disease or condition or a condition characterised by, or associated with, loss of cognitive memory capacity in a subject. The vaccine compositions may be provided as a kit. Related methods of producing a liposomal vaccine composition are also provided.

Particles with a spatial and/or temporal release profile for delivery of different agents at different times to the same cells of a subject have been developed. The particles include a core polymeric particle containing a polymer and a first agent, a tethering moiety, covalent linker or covalent linkage attached to the core particle, and a tethered particle attached to the particle via the tethering moiety, covalent linker or covalent linkage and containing a second agent, where the agents are released at different times within or to the same cells. The first and second agents may be a therapeutic or prophylactic agent, such as an antigen, an immunomodulator, an anti-neoplastic agent, a hormone, an inhibitor, etc. The particles may form compositions for treating diseases with a spatial and/or temporal treatment regimen.

The present invention provides nanoparticles comprising: (a) an amphiphilic polymer with a number average molecular weight (Mn) of 20,000 g/mol or less; and (b) a peptide that is covalently linked to the polymer, wherein the peptide comprises 8 to 50 amino acids, including an N-terminal linker sequence comprising at least one Arg amino acid residue and a sequence comprising an MHC binding sequence comprising a T cell receptor epitope.

The present invention further comprises compositions comprising respective nanoparticles and a liquid or lyophilized carrier as well as nanoparticles and compositions of the invention for use in inducing tolerance to a therapeutic compound (protein, viral vector, lipid vesicle), an allergen or to an autoantigen or for treating an allergy, an autoimmune disease, an exogenous antigen (transplantation antigens, drugs) or a food intolerance.

The present embodiments provide for an S. aureus (SA) Multiple Antigen Presenting System (MAPS) immunogenic composition comprising an immunogenic polysaccharide which induces an immune response, where at least one S. aureus (SA) peptide or polypeptide antigen is associated to the immunogenic polysaccharide by complementary affinity molecules. In some embodiments, the immunogenic polysaccharide can be an antigenic capsular polysaccharide of a Type 5 or Type 8 from S. aureus, or alternatively, a different immunogenic capsular or noncapsular polysaccharide, and where the protein or peptide SA antigens are indirectly linked via an affinity binding pair. The present SA-MAPS immunogenic compositions can elicit both humoral and cellular immune responses to the immunogenic polysaccharide and one or multiple SA antigens at the same time.

Provided are a newly designed HIV-1 Env trimer protein, and an HIV-1 pseudovirus and virus expressing the Env trimer protein, and the use thereof for the prevention and/or treatment of HIV infection.

The disclosure provides modified biotin-binding proteins which can be expressed in soluble form in high yield in bacteria. Also provided are fusion proteins comprising the modified biotin-binding protein and an antigen. The disclosure further provides non-hemolytic variants of alpha-hemolysin from S. aureus and fusion protein comprising non-hemolytic variant of alpha-hemolysin and a biotin-binding domains. Immunogenic compositions comprising the proteins are also disclosed and use of such immunogenic compositions for inducing an immune response or for vaccinating a subject are also disclosed.

The present invention is directed to a method of manufacturing a polyepitopic protein comprising the steps of cloning a blunt-ended DNA sequence by encoding the epitope that is to be cloned into a DNA vector recognized by the endonuclease SmaI or the endonuclease SapI and isolating the polyepitopic protein by transforming a bacterial host cell with such vector.