The disclosure relates to polypeptides, vaccines and pharmaceutical compositions that find use in the prevention or treatment of Coronaviridae or SARS-CoV-2 infection. The disclosure also relates to methods of treating or preventing Coronaviridae or SARS-CoV-2 infection in a subject. The polypeptides and vaccines comprise B cell epitopes and cytotoxic and helper T cell epitopes that are immunogenic in a high percentage of subjects in the human population.

The present invention provides a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) system comprising; (i) a receptor component comprising a antigen binding domain and a first binding domain; and (ii) a signalling component comprising a signalling domain and a second binding domain which binds the single domain binder of the first binding domain of the receptor component wherein either the first or second binding domains comprise a single domain binder, and wherein, binding of the first and second binding domains is disrupted by the presence of an agent, such that in the absence of the agent, the receptor component and the signalling component heterodimerize and binding of the antigen binding domain to antigen results in signalling through the signalling domain; whereas in the presence of the agent, the receptor component and the signalling component do not heterodimerize and binding of the antigen binding domain to antigen does not result in signalling through the signalling domain.

Chimeric transmembrane immunoreceptors (CAR) targeted to PSCA are described.

Safe, rapid and efficient methods for producing antigen-specific T cells recognizing human papilloma virus or HPV antigens.

A trifunctional molecule comprising a target-specific ligand, a ligand that binds a protein associated with the TCR complex and a T cell receptor signaling domain polypeptide is provided. The ligand that binds a protein associated with a TCR complex is UCHT1 with a Y182T mutation. Engineering T cells with this novel receptor engenders antigen specific activation of numerous T cell functions, including cytokine production, degranulation and cytolysis.

The invention provides genetically modified non-human animals that express chimeric human/non-human T cell co-receptor polypeptides (e.g., CD4, CD8α, CD8β), as well as embryos, cells, and tissues comprising the same. Also provided are constructs for making said genetically modified animals and methods of making the same.

The present invention provides gene edited modified immune cells suitable for adoptive T cell therapy comprising a nucleic acid capable of downregulating CD3δ, CD3ε, CD3γ, B2M, CIITA, TAP1, TAP2, TAPBP, NLRC5, HLA-DM, RFX5, RFXANK, RFXAP, and invariant chain; and further comprising an exogenous nucleic acid encoding a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), an engineered T cell receptor (TCR), a Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR), dominant negative receptor and/or a switch receptor. Also provided are compositions and methods for generating the modified immune cell, and methods of using the modified immune cells for adoptive therapy and treating a disease or condition.

The invention features nucleic acid constructs encoding chimeric immune T-cell receptors (CIRs) that are useful for treating HIV in patients. In general, the CIRs contain an extracellular domain which targets HIV or HIV infected cells (e.g., the extracellular domain of CD4), a transmembrane domain, and a cytoplasmic domain for mediating T-cell activation (e.g., CD3 zeta and/or the partial extracellular domain of CD28). The invention also features the use of host cells expressing CIRs in the treatment of HIV.

The present disclosure provides transgenic cells that express memory dimeric antigen receptors (mDARs), where the mDAR constructs comprise a JAK-STAT intracellular region having a cytokine receptor intracellular region which includes Box 1 and Box 2 motifs for binding a Janus kinase (JAK) which can play a role in JAK-STAT cellular signaling pathway to induce effector cell activation and proliferation. In one embodiment, the JAK-STAT intracellular region further comprises a CD3zeta intracellular signaling region having an intact ITAM region, or having ITAM 1 and 3, or having only ITAM 3 with a partial deletion. Transgenic cells expressing the mDAR constructs exhibit potent cytotoxicity, and release reduced levels of cytokines, compared to traditional DARs that lack a cytokine receptor intracellular region. The mDAR constructs have antibody-like properties as they bind specifically to a target antigen. Transgenic cells expressing the mDAR constructs can be used for directed cell therapy.

The invention relates to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) scaffolds comprising: a target binding domain; a spacer region; a transmembrane domain; and an intracellular effector domain, wherein the spacer region comprises at least one, or multiples of, domains 2, 3 or 4 or a combination thereof of a CD4 molecule. The invention also relates to polynucleotides and expression vectors encoding said CAR scaffold and immunomodulatory cells comprising said CAR scaffold. The invention also relates to methods of engineering an immunomodulatory cell to comprise said CAR scaffold