Two or more conditional, dominant, lethal gene expression systems provide high levels of penetrance in insects. Lethality is induced at an earlier stage of development and the risk of biochemical resistance is reduced, as compared to a single insect conditional, dominant, lethal gene expression system. The invention is useful for the control of insect populations.

This disclosure relates to mRNA therapy for the treatment of arginase deficiency (AD). mRNAs for use in the invention, when administered in vivo, encode arginase 1 (ARG1). mRNA therapies of the disclosure increase and/or restore deficient levels of ARG1 expression and/or activity in subjects. mRNA therapies of the disclosure further decrease abnormal accumulation of ammonia associated with deficient ARG1 activity in subjects.

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) polypeptides, nucleic acids encoding NMD polypeptides, and methods of using such polypeptides and nucleic acids in the treatment of ALS and in screening for agents for the treatment of ALS are described.

Methods and compositions using a nucleic acid molecule encoding an atonal-associated factor in combination with a co-transcription factor and/or inhibitor of a gene silencing complex to change the sensory perception of an animal are described.

Provided herein are agents, such as antibodies or chimeric antigen receptors, that target homotrimeric type I collagen. Methods of treating cancer and fibroids are provided, comprising administering to a patient in need thereof an effective amount of a homotrimeric type I collagen-neutralizing agent. The methods can further include administering an effective amount of chemotherapy or immunotherapy to said patient.

Provided are a targeting vector, a nucleic acid composition, and a method for constructing a liver-injured mouse model. The targeting vector includes a first expression cassette and a second expression cassette located downstream of the first expression cassette, the first expression cassette has the following elements connected in series in sequence: a liver-specific promoter, a tetracycline transcription activation regulating factor, and a first polyA; and the second expression cassette has the following elements connected in series in sequence: a second polyA, a mouse prourokinase activator encoding gene, and a tetracycline-inducible promoter. The liver-injured mouse model constructed with this targeting vector has the phenotype of spontaneously generating the liver injury and aggravating the liver injury by induction, which provides liver-injured mouse models for studies of liver diseases.

The present disclosure provides a transgenic, immunocompromised mouse engineered to express a human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (huACE2) sequence. The huACE2 sequence may be operably linked to a human keratin 18 (hKRT18) promoter or the endogenous mouse angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (mACE2) promoter. Transgenic immunocompromised mice of the present disclosure may be utilized in methods of evaluating a test agent for reducing or preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The present invention provides transgenic animals (e.g., transgenic porcine animals), organs, tissues, and cells derived from the transgenic animals that are particularly useful for xenotransplantation therapies. In particular, the present invention provides transgenic porcine animals, as well as organs, tissues and cells derived from the transgenic porcine animals, which lack any expression of a functional alpha 1,3 galactosyltransferase (GTKO) gene and comprise at least six transgenes under the control of at least three promoters within a single multi-gene expression vector, and further comprise at least four additional genetic modifications. Also provided are methods of making the transgenic animals (e.g., transgenic porcine animals), and methods of using the transgenic animals, organs, tissues, and cells derived from the transgenic animals for xenotransplantation therapies and treating a disease or condition.

The present invention relates to a non-human mammalian animal which has been modified to have in the blood, plasma and/or serum (a) an increased number of leukocytes and/or neutrophils, and (b) a reduced activity of the DNase 1 and/or DNase 1-like 3 enzymes. The non-human mammalian animal is particularly suitable for studying inflammation and/or a disease associated with inflammation. In a further aspect, the invention relates to the use of the non-human mammalian animal as a model for identifying therapeutic or diagnostic targets of inflammation and/or a disease associated with inflammation. In a still further aspect, the invention relates the use of the non-human mammalian animal as a model for drug candidate testing. In addition, a method for testing an anti-inflammatory drug candidate against extracellular DNA is provided. Finally, a method for testing an anti-inflammatory drug candidate for modifying the formation or degradation of neutrophil extracellular traps is provided. In still another aspect, the present invention relates to a non-human mammalian animal, which has been modified to have an increased number of neutrophils in blood.

The invention provides a method of modulating electrophysiological activity of an excitable cell. The method involves causing exogenous expression of a glycine receptor (GlyR) protein in an excitable cell of a subject. Thereafter, the excitable cell is exposed to an allosteric modulator of the GlyR protein. Modulation of the exogenous GlyR protein (an ion channel) in response to the allosteric modulator modulates the electrophysiological activity of the excitable cell. The method can be used to control pain in a subject. The invention further provides a replication-defective HSV vector comprising an expression cassette encoding a GlyR protein, stocks and pharmaceutical compositions containing such vectors, and a transgenic animal.