Multivalent D-peptidic compounds that specifically bind to a target protein are provided. The multivalent D-peptidic compounds can include two or more distinct variant D-peptidic domains connected via linking components. The D-peptidic compounds can include multiple distinct domains that specifically bind to different binding sites on a target protein to provide for high affinity binding to, and potent activity against, the target protein. D-peptidic variant GA and Z domain polypeptides are also provided, which polypeptides have specificity-determining motifs (SDM) for specific binding to a target protein, such as VEGF-A or PD-1. In some embodiments where the target protein is homodimeric (e.g., VEGF-A, PD-1), the D-peptidic compounds may be similarly dimeric, and include a dimer of multivalent (e.g., bivalent) D-peptidic compounds. Methods for using the compounds are provided, including methods for treating a disease or condition associated with a target protein in a subject.

The present disclosure provides a system that enables precise temporal control of the serum half-life a therapeutic moiety by inducing the association or disassociation of the therapeutic moiety with an Fc domain by a small molecule. The present disclosure also provides a system that enables precise control of the serum half- life a T cell engager domain by incorporating a chemically induced dimerizer (CID). One half of the CID is fused to a T cell engager, and the other half of the CID is fused to a HSA binding domain. Addition or removal of a small molecule induces association or dissociation of the T cell engager with HSA, thereby enabling precise temporal control of the serum half-life the T cell engager.

The present invention relates to compositions and methods for treating cancer, particularly to agents that inhibit the expression and/or activity of the protein second mitochondria-derived activator of caspase/direct inhibitor of apoptosis-binding protein with low pI (SMAC/Diablo). The inhibiting agents include RNA interference molecules silencing the expression of SMAC/Diablo and peptides modulating its interactions within the cell nucleus and mitochondria. The methods and agents of the present invention are useful in treating cancers associated with overexpression of SMAC/Diablo.

This disclosure describes chimeric antigen receptors for expression in a Natural Killer (NK) cell, pharmaceutical compositions that include NK cells (and/or iPSCs) modified to express a chimeric antigen receptor, and methods involving such chimeric antigen receptors. Generally, the chimeric antigen receptor includes an ectodomain that includes an antigen recognition region, a transmembrane domain linked to the ectodomain, and an endodomain linked to the transmembrane domain. The endodomain can include a signaling peptide that activates an NK cell.

Provided are polynucleotides and viral vectors, particularly, alphavirus vectors such as Sindbis viral vectors, which encode multiple, e.g., two or more, epitopes of at least one tumor associated antigen in which each epitope is separated by a processing or enzyme cleavage site. The multiple epitopes of the two or more tumor associated antigens encoded by the described polynucleotides and viral vectors may be the same or different. Methods of treating mammalian subjects having a cancer or tumor expressing the tumor associated antigen epitopes are provided, in which the viral vectors encoding the multiple epitopes, as well as other immunostimulatory or immunomodulatory components, generate an anti-cancer or anti-tumor immune response in which high levels of effector T cells increase the survivability of tumored mammalian subjects and result in epitope spreading, thus providing a further enhancement of the immune response.

The present invention provides nucleic acid constructs, expression vectors, transgenic cell and methods of making and using the same, wherein the nucleic acid construct includes a synthetic promoter designed from the endogenous promoter of BIRC5 and LAMC2. In illustrative working embodiments of the invention, an exogenous nucleic acid fragment encoding thymidine kinase is operably linked to the synthetic promoter which is then shown to regulate the expression of this polypeptide.

The disclosure provides inducible caspase polypeptides, compositions comprising inducible caspase polypeptides and sequences encoding the same, cells modified to express the polypeptides and compositions of the disclosure, as well as methods of making and methods of using same for adoptive cell therapy.

The present technology is directed to fragments of Fas Apoptosis Inhibitory Molecule (FAIM) or mimetics thereof, compositions containing FAIM or fragments and/or mimetics thereof, and methods of treatment and systems comprising FAIM or fragments and/or mimetics thereof. The methods of treatment include treating neurodegenerative neurodegenerative or other proteinopathy such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, amyotropic lateral sclerosis, multiple tauopathies, spongiform encephalopathies, familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or a combination of two or more thereof.

The present disclosure relates to a PD-1 variant having improved binding affinity to PD-L1. In addition, the present disclosure relates to a method for preparing the PD-1 variant and a method for screening the PD-1 variant. The PD-1 variant of the present disclosure effectively inhibits the binding between wild-type PD-1 and PD-L1, and thus is expected to have significantly higher penetration ability and anticancer effect by immune cells or therapeutic effect for infectious diseases as compared to existing immune checkpoint inhibitors. At the same time, the possibility of immunogenicity can be minimized. In addition, the convenience of developing biomedicine may be promoted through aglycosylation.

This disclosure relates to the surprising and unexpected finding that the well-known cancer protein, Myeloid Cell Leukemia-1 (MCL-1), binds to and modulates the enzymatic activity of Very Long Chain Acyl CoA Dehydrogenase (VLCAD), thereby regulating fatty acid β-oxidation. This finding is employed in compositions and methods of treating cancer, metabolic diseases, or other conditions characterized by excessive fatty acid β-oxidation by blocking or reducing the energy production of cells (e.g., cancer) through inhibiting the MCL-1/VLCAD interaction and/or directly inhibiting VLCAD enzymatic activity. In addition, the disclosure features methods for identifying such agents that inhibit the interaction between MCL-1 and VLCAD or that inhibit VLCAD enzymatic activity.