The invention provides methods, compositions and kits for treating and or preventing an HIV infection. For example, HIV envelope-like polypeptides (wild-type HIV polypeptides and mimotopes) may be administered to an individual so as to induce a protective immune response to HIV. Alternatively, antibodies directed to the HIV envelope-like polypeptides may be administered to an individual to treat or prevent an HIV infection and/or one or more symptoms associated with the infection (e.g., AIDS).

Provided herein is technology relating to immunotherapy and particularly, but not exclusively, to compositions, methods, and kits for immunotherapy and activation of T cells.

Blood-brain barrier permeable peptide compositions that contain variable antigen binding domains from camelid and/or shark heavy-chain only single-domain antibodies are described. The variable antigen binding domains of the peptide compositions bind to therapeutic and diagnostic biomarkers in the central nervous system, such as the amyloid-beta peptide biomarker for Alzheimer's disease. The peptide compositions contain constant domains from human IgG, camelid IgG, and/or shark IgNAR. The peptide compositions include heavy-chain only single-domain antibodies and compositions with one or more variable antigen binding domain bound to one or more constant domains.

The present invention provides methods for generating functional derivatives of effector polypeptides (e.g., hormones and receptor ligands) embedded in a different protein scaffold (e.g., antibody scaffolds). The methods involve modifying the effector polypeptide with a combinatorial library of terminal linker sequences, inserting the modified sequences into the host scaffold, and then selecting functional derivatives from the library of modified polypeptide sequences embedded in the host scaffold. As exemplifications, the invention also provides specific functional derivatives of leptin, scFSH and scRelaxin embedded in an antibody scaffold, as well as therapeutic applications of such functional fusion molecules.

The present invention relates to a polypeptide binding to fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 isoforms 3b and 3c (FGFR3b and FGFR3c), wherein the polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of: (a) GVTLFVALYDYEVYGPTPMLSFHKGEKFQIL(X.sup.1)(X.sup.2)(X.sup.3) (X.sup.4)GPYWEARSL(X.sup.5)TGETG(X.sup.6)IPSNYVAPVDSIQ (SEQ ID NO: 1), wherein amino acid positions (X1) to (X.sup.6) may be any amino acid sequence; (b) an amino acid sequence which is at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence of (a), wherein the identity determination excludes amino acid positions (X.sup.1) to (X.sup.6) and provided that the amino acid sequence EVYGPTPM (SEQ ID NO: 2) in amino acid positions 12 to 19 of SEQ ID NO: 1 is conserved and the amino acids P and Y in amino acid positions 37 and 38 of SEQ ID NO: 1 are conserved; (c) GVTLFVALYDYEVMSTTALSFHKGEKF QILSQSPHGQYWEARSLTTGETG(X.sup.6)IPSNYVAPVDSIQ (SEQ ID NO: 19), wherein the amino acid position (X.sup.6) may be any amino acid; and (d) an amino acid sequence which is at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence of (c), wherein the identity determination excludes amino acid position (X.sup.6) and provided that the amino acid sequences EVMSTTA (SEQ ID NO: 20) in amino acid positions 12 to 18 of SEQ ID NO: 19 and SQSPH (SEQ ID NO: 21) in amino acid positions 31 to 35 of SEQ ID NO: 19 are conserved and the amino acids Q and Yin amino acid positions 37 and 38 of SEQ ID NO: 19 are conserved.

The invention provides a dual VEGF/PDGF antagonist comprising a VEGF antagonist linked to a PDGF antagonist. The VEGF antagonist is an antibody to a VEGF or VEGFR or is a VEGFR extracellular trap segment (i.e., a segment from the extracellular region of one or more VEGFR receptors that inhibits binding of at least one VEGFR to at least one VEGF). The PDGF antagonist is an antibody to a PDGF or PDGFR or is a PDGFR extracellular trap segment (i.e., segment from the extracellular region of one or more PDGFRs, which inhibits binding of at least one PDGFR and at least one PDGF). The dual antagonist is preferably conjugated to a half-life extending moiety, such as a HEMA-PC polymer. The dual antagonist is particularly useful for treating wet aged related macular degeneration.

Miniature protein scaffolds and compositions thereof (e.g., vaccine formulations) and methods of using same are described herein. In a particular embodiment, the miniature protein scaffold comprises an isolated -strand connected via a loop to a left-handed poly proline type-II (PPII) helix formed in the absence of proline residues.

The present disclosure provides humanized antibodies, including antibodies comprising an ultralong CDR3 and uses thereof.

The present invention relates to a modified antibody comprising a heavy chain and a light chain, wherein the antibody is modified to include in one or more of its immunoglobulin polypeptide chains one or more first recognition site(s) for the transglutaminase from Kutzneria albida (KalbTG) or a functionally active variant thereof. The one or more first recognition site(s) are introduced at one or more selected position(s) within an antibody's heavy chain and/or an antibody's light chain. The invention further relates to one or more nucleic acid(s) encoding an immunoglobulin polypeptide chain including the one or more recognition site(s), a site-specifically conjugated antibody comprising the modified antibody and one or more labelling domain(s) covalently attached to one or more first recognition sites, a kit for producing the conjugated antibody, a method of specifically labelling the modified antibody by way of site-specific conjugation, the use of the modified antibody for producing a specifically site-specifically conjugated antibody, a method of detecting a target in a sample and the use of the site-specifically conjugated antibody in the detection of a target and/or in the diagnosis.

A method of targeting bacterially-derived, intact minicells to specific, non-phagocytic mammalian cells employs bispecific ligands to deliver nucleic acids efficiently to the mammalian cells. Bispecific ligands, comprising (i) a first arm that carries specificity for a bacterially-derived minicell surface structure and (ii) a second arm that carries specificity for a non-phagocytic mammalian cell surface receptor are useful for targeting minicells to specific, non-phagocytic mammalian cells and causing endocytosis of minicells by non-phagocytic cells.