Immune-based approaches to treat and prevent skin cancer by boosting T cell immunity against commensal HPVs present on skin. Thus, provided herein are compositions comprising: (i) a plurality of antigenic peptides each comprising a sequence of 9-30 amino acids derived from proteins from commensal human papilloma viruses, (ii) a plurality of live or live attenuated commensal human papilloma viruses, (iii) a plurality of antigenic proteins from commensal human papilloma viruses, preferably in virus-like particles, and/or (iv) a plurality of nucleic acids encoding (a) a plurality of antigenic peptides, each comprising a sequence of 9-30 amino acids derived from proteins from commensal human papilloma viruses or (b) a plurality of antigenic proteins from commensal human papilloma viruses; and optionally a T cell adjuvant that increases T cell response to the antigenic peptides.

An attenuated vaccinia virus GAB-1 and its use in a vaccine for treatment of papillomavirus lesions is described. In preferred embodiments, the Lederle-Chorioallantoic strain of vaccinia virus is serially passaged in chicken embryo-fibroblast (CEF) cells by at least 100 passages. GAB-1 has reduced virulence and is safe to use without side effects after attenuation by serial passaging, but remains highly immunogenic. Experimentation has found that GAB-1 is much more immunogenic than other strains of vaccinia virus, including Western Reserve (WR) and modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA). GAB-1 can be used safely in humans for treating tumorous lesions caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).

An attenuated vaccinia virus GAB-1 and its use in a vaccine for treatment of papillomavirus lesions is described. In preferred embodiments, the Lederle-Chorioallantoic strain of vaccinia virus is serially passaged in chicken embryo-fibroblast (CEF) cells by at least 100 passages. GAB-1 has reduced virulence and is safe to use without side effects after attenuation by serial passaging, but remains highly immunogenic. Experimentation has found that GAB-1 is much more immunogenic than other strains of vaccinia virus, including Western Reserve (WR) and modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA). GAB-1 can be used safely in humans for treating tumorous lesions caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).

A CD1 peptide-epitope for use in the treatment of a disease caused by an intracellular pathogen, the method for the identification of this CD1 peptide epitope, the pharmaceutical kit comprising this CD1 peptide epitope and the method to treat a patient against a disease caused by an intracellular pathogen or to prevent such infection, based on vaccination with this CD1 peptide-epitope.

A CD1 peptide-epitope for use in the treatment of a disease caused by an intracellular pathogen, the method for the identification of this CD1 peptide epitope, the pharmaceutical kit comprising this CD1 peptide epitope and the method to treat a patient against a disease caused by an intracellular pathogen or to prevent such infection, based on vaccination with this CD1 peptide-epitope.

The invention is related to a dengue virus or chimeric dengue virus that contains a mutation in the 3′ untranslated region (3′-UTR) comprising a Δ30 mutation that removes the TL-2 homologous structure in each of the dengue virus serotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4, and nucleotides additional to the Δ30 mutation deleted from the 3′-UTR that removes sequence in the 5′ direction as far as the 5′ boundary of the TL-3 homologous structure in each of the dengue serotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4, or a replacement of the 3′-UTR of a dengue virus of a first serotype with the 3′-UTR of a dengue virus of a second serotype, optionally containing the Δ30 mutation and nucleotides additional to the Δ30 mutation deleted from the 3′-UTR; and immunogenic compositions, methods of inducing an immune response, and methods of producing a dengue virus or chimeric dengue virus.

A vaccine candidate is herein described comprised by statistically significant DNA fragments resulting in three types of compositions: 1) a composition of statistically significant DNA fragments, 2) a composition of RNA transcripts corresponding to the statistically significant DNA fragments, and 3) a computational reduction composition wherein the DNA fragments are fully or partially subtracted from a base organism, resulting in a synthetic organism which has a high statistical likelihood of problematic functions being partially or fully removed.

A vaccine candidate is herein described comprised by statistically significant DNA fragments resulting in three types of compositions: 1) a composition of statistically significant DNA fragments, 2) a composition of RNA transcripts corresponding to the statistically significant DNA fragments, and 3) a computational reduction composition wherein the DNA fragments are fully or partially subtracted from a base organism, resulting in a synthetic organism which has a high statistical likelihood of problematic functions being partially or fully removed.

The invention features compositions and methods for the prevention or treatment of one or more strains of Chikungunya virus, as well as other alphavirus-mediated diseases.

Attenuated viruses and methods of designing them are disclosed. In one embodiment, there is disclosed an attenuated form of a virulent virus comprising an RNA encoding a viral protein or a nucleic acid sequence transcribable to said RNA, wherein the folding energy or structure of the RNA is changed at positions of evolutionarily conserved RNA structures with respect to that of said RNA encoding said viral protein in the virulent virus so as to bring about attenuation of the virus.