Disclosed herein are methods of terminally sterilizing bacterial minicells or compositions comprising bacterial minicells by exposure to ionizing irradiation. Also disclosed are terminally sterilized bacterial minicells, pharmaceutical compositions comprising the bacterial minicells, and methods of use the bacterial minicells and pharmaceutical compositions.

The present invention provides novel neurotoxins and compositions comprising the same. The neurotoxins are useful in therapy, particularly for preventing, regulating or reducing neuropathic pain or sweating. Methods and kits for producing the neurotoxins are also provided.

The present invention provides novel neurotoxins and compositions comprising the same. The neurotoxins are useful in therapy, particularly for preventing, regulating or reducing neuropathic pain or sweating. Methods and kits for producing the neurotoxins are also provided.

The present disclosure provides peptides derived from CRM197 and Tetanus toxoid that can be used to generate an immune response in an individual. The present disclosure includes isolated peptides and multimers of isolated peptides. Also provided are compositions that include the isolated peptide or the multimer. Further provided are methods, including methods for increasing the antigenicity of a compound, such as an antigen, and methods for inducing an immune response in a subject

The present invention pertains to: a botulinum toxin, epithelial cell growth factor, or hexapeptide fusion protein bound to skin tissues and cell-permeable peptides, or an epithelial cell growth factor mixed with skin tissues and cell-permeable peptides; and a composition comprising same. The fusion protein or the epithelial cell growth factor mixed with cell-permeable peptides has increased cell permeability compared to protein by itself, and is thus useful for improving the condition of skin, treating wrinkles, relieving muscle tension, and treating wounds.

This invention relates to novel fusion peptides and immunogenic compositions containing the fusion peptides useful in the control and prevention of tick infestations. The invention also relates to compositions comprising said fusion peptides, methods of vaccination against tick infestation using said fusion peptides and compositions, and kits for use with such compositions and methods.

This invention relates to novel fusion peptides and immunogenic compositions containing the fusion peptides useful in the control and prevention of tick infestations. The invention also relates to compositions comprising said fusion peptides, methods of vaccination against tick infestation using said fusion peptides and compositions, and kits for use with such compositions and methods.

In one aspect, the invention relates to an immunogenic composition that includes a mutant Clostridium difficile toxin A and/or a mutant Clostridium difficile toxin B. Each mutant toxin includes a glucosyltransferase domain having at least one mutation and a cysteine protease domain having at least one mutation, relative to the corresponding wild-type C. difficile toxin. The mutant toxins may further include at least one amino acid that is chemically crosslinked. In another aspect, the invention relates to antibodies or binding fragments thereof that binds to said immunogenic compositions. In further aspects, the invention relates to isolated nucleotide sequences that encode any of the foregoing, and methods of use of any of the foregoing compositions.

In one aspect, the invention relates to an immunogenic composition that includes a mutant Clostridium difficile toxin A and/or a mutant Clostridium difficile toxin B. Each mutant toxin includes a glucosyltransferase domain having at least one mutation and a cysteine protease domain having at least one mutation, relative to the corresponding wild-type C. difficile toxin. The mutant toxins may further include at least one amino acid that is chemically crosslinked. In another aspect, the invention relates to antibodies or binding fragments thereof that binds to said immunogenic compositions. In further aspects, the invention relates to isolated nucleotide sequences that encode any of the foregoing, and methods of use of any of the foregoing compositions.

The present disclosure relates, according to some embodiments, to compositions, methods, systems, and kits for programmable endonucleolytic cleavage of DNA (e.g., ds DNA). For example, the in vitro activity of an Argonaute (e.g., a mesophilic Argonaute CbAgo from Clostridium butyricum) may be synchronized with DNA strand unwinding activity of a helicase (e.g., a nuclease deficient RecB.sup.exo-C DNA helicase from E. coli) for a rapid and efficient cleavage of double-stranded DNA targets. Enzymatic properties of CbAgo and different aspects of ds DNA cleavage were thoroughly explored by adapting high-throughput capillary electrophoreses technique for monitoring CbAgo cleavage activity in concurrence with RecB.sup.exo-C. The present disclosure shows that in the presence of RecB.sup.exo-C, CbAgo can be programmed with guides to cleave any site of interest localized at up to 10 kb distance from the end of linear ds DNA at 37° C. temperature. CbAgo/RecB.sup.exo-C can be programmed to generate DNA fragments flanked with unique single-stranded extensions suitable for seamless ligation with compatible DNA fragments. The present disclosure relates further the compositions, methods, systems, and kits for PRC-free assembly of linear DNA molecules by using CbAgo/RecB.sup.exo-C programmable DNA endonuclease. The results presented here demonstrate that the combination of CbAgo and RecB.sup.exo-C is currently an efficient mesophilic DNA-guided DNA-cleaving programmable endonuclease which can be used to prepare synthetic biology tools that require or benefit from sequence-specific nicking/cleavage of natural DNA at otherwise inaccessible locations.