The disclosure relates to polypeptides and pharmaceutical compositions comprising polypeptides that find use in the prevention or treatment of cancer, in particular breast cancer, ovarian cancer and colorectal cancer. The disclosure also relates to methods of inducing a cytotoxic T cell response in a subject or treating cancer by administering pharmaceutical compositions comprising the peptides, and companion diagnostic methods of identifying subjects for treatment. The peptides comprise T cell epitopes that are immunogenic in a high percentage of patients.

The invention provides a peptide obtainable from C. albicans as well as variants and fragments thereof, and labelled forms of these. The peptide is immunogenic and specific binding partners for the peptide and labelled forms of these specific binding partners form a further aspect of the invention. The peptide is a fragment of the ECE1 protein and has been found to be both immunogenic and act as a pore-forming toxin. A range of therapeutic and diagnostic applications for the peptide and the specific binding partners for it form further aspects of the invention. In addition, the peptide may be used in screens for identifying compounds having useful anti-fungal activity.

This invention describes vaccine compositions and their methods of use utilizing inactivated fbp1? deletion mutant fungal cells.

There is provided a composition including parietal polysaccharides from at least one Candida species and parietal polysaccharides from at least one different yeast species. The composition can be used in modulating and/or stimulating immune responses in animal or human.

Invasive fungal disease (IFD) constitutes an increasing health concern due to growing numbers of patients at risk for opportunistic fungal infections. Among the fungi capable of inducing opportunistic infections the yeast Candida albicans is clinically the most important. Immune evasion proteins like the pH-regulated antigen 1 (Pra1) and the translation elongation factor 1 (Tef1), which are expressed on the fungal surface and are also secreted, are major drivers of pathogenicity. Therefore, novel monoclonal antibodies (mAb) binding these proteins have been developed. In an in vivo mouse model of high-dose septic C. albicans infection, therapeutic application of mAb against Pra1 reduced clinical symptoms of the disease. Prophylactically, mAb against Tef1 protected mice from clinical disease and prolonged survival. The mABs of the present invention may also be efficacious in patients at risk or with already established IFD.

The present disclosure provides a gastric resistant, enteric coated nano-silica yeast particle (YP) delivery system. The disclosure further provides methods of making and methods of using a nano-silica yeast particle delivery system.

The instant invention provides various formulations comprising combinations of immunostimulating oligonucleotides, polycationic carriers, sterols, saponins, quaternary amines, TLR-3 agonists, glycolipids, and MPL-A or analogs thereof in oil emulsions, use thereof in preparations of immunogenic compositions and vaccines, and use thereof in the treatment of animals.

Two-component vaccine formulations and methods are contemplated where the vaccine has an adjuvant component and a therapeutic component. The therapeutic component comprises preferably a recombinant therapeutic virus encoding a therapeutic antigen while the adjuvant component comprises a non-host cell or immune stimulating portion thereof. Notably, use of the adjuvant component will result in significant uptake of the therapeutic component into immune competent cells, even in the absence of receptors for entry of the therapeutic component. In addition, such adjuvant also stimulates expression of the therapeutic antigen.

A vaccine comprising Calnexin fragment and a method of using the vaccine to immunize a patient against fungi are disclosed. The Calnexin fragment may be either a full-length native version or a functionally equivalent version of full-length Calnexin.

The present invention relates to a method of treating Pneumocystis pneumonia infection in a subject. This method involves administering to a subject having a Pneumocystis pneumonia infection one or more antibodies that bind specifically to a Pneumocystis cross-reactive antigen 1 (PCA1) protein under conditions effective to treat the Pneumocystis infection in the subject. Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of treating a subject at risk for Pneumocystis pneumonia infection. A further aspect of the present invention relates to an isolated protein or polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1. Another aspect of the present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising the isolated protein or polypeptide of the present invention and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.