Some aspects of this disclosure provide compositions, methods, systems, and kits for controlling the activity of RNA-programmable endonucleases, such as Cas9, or for controlling the activity of proteins comprising a Cas9 variant fused to a functional effector domain, such as a nuclease, nickase, recombinase, deaminase, transcriptional activator, transcriptional repressor, or epigenetic modifying domain. For example, the inventive proteins provided comprise a ligand-dependent intein, the presence of which inhibits one or more activities of the protein (e.g., gRNA binding, enzymatic activity, target DNA binding). The binding of a ligand to the intein results in self-excision of the intein, restoring the activity of the protein.

The present disclosure provides adenine base editors (ABEs) that are variants of known adenine base editors. The adenosine deaminase domain of a known ABE was modified to produce adenosine deaminase variants. The deaminase variants provided herein have broader compatibility with diverse napDNAbp domains, such as Cas homologs, for base editing applications. The ABEs provided herein comprise a deaminase variant and a napDNAbp domain. The ABEs provided herein exhibit reduced off-target editing effects while retaining high on-target editing efficiencies. These ABEs exhibit reduced off-target DNA editing effects and reduced off-target editing effects in cellular mRNA. In addition, methods for targeted nucleic acid editing are provided. Further provided are pharmaceutical compositions comprising the ABEs. Also provided are vectors and kits useful for the generation and delivery of the ABEs, including vector systems for engineering the ABEs through directed evolution. Cells containing such vectors and ABEs are also provided. Further provided are methods of treatment comprising administering the ABEs.

The present invention relates a vector system and a vector system for use in a method of treating a disease, each comprising a first vector and a second vector. The present invention further relates to the first vector, the second vector and a combination of the first vector and the second vector. In addition, the present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising the vector system of the invention or the combination of the invention.

Disclosed herein, in some embodiments, non-naturally occurring proteins (e.g., non-naturally occurring modified proteins) that may be useful in the treatment of bacterial and viral infections, including SARS-CoV-2 infection, host cells comprising the same, and methods of treating bacterial and viral infections including SARS-CoV-2 infection. Also provided herein are host cells comprising fusion proteins for split intein-based selection of peptides that bind a target protein, methods of using the same, and methods of identifying peptides that bind a target protein.

The present disclosure discloses a method for expressing and preparing a bivalent bispecific antibody. In the present disclosure, each portion of a bivalent bispecific antibody and an immune hybrid protein thereof is respectively expressed in a suitable prokaryotic or eukaryotic cell system, separated and purified by high-performance affinity chromatography, and then spliced in vitro by trans-splicing reaction mediated by an intein, to prepare the bivalent specific antibody and an immune hybrid protein thereof.

Mussels strongly adhere to a variety of surfaces by secreting byssal threads that contain mussel foot proteins (Mfps). Recombinant production of Mfps presents an attractive route for preparing advanced adhesive materials. Using synthetic biology strategies, Mfp5 together with Mfp5 oligomers containing two or three consecutive, covalently-linked Mfp5 sequences (named Mfp5.sup.2 and Mfp5.sup.3) were synthesized. Positive correlations were found between Mfp5 molecular weight and underwater adhesive properties, including adhesion force, adhesion work, protein layer thickness, and recovery distance. Dopa-modified Mfp5.sup.3 displayed a high adhesion force (201±36 nN μm.sup.−1) and a high adhesion work (68±21 fJ μm.sup.−1) for 200 s cure times, higher than previously reported Mfp-mimetic adhesives. Results disclosed herein highlight the power of synthetic biology in producing biocompatible and highly adhesive Mfp-based materials.

The present invention relates to improvement in the prevention and treatment of viral infectious diseases through the structural modification or improvement of a nano-perforator. According to the present invention, a nano-perforator, having modified structure, area, shape and membrane scaffold protein characteristics, has improved thermal stability and has maximized anti-viral activity through an increase in the efficiency of perforation activity, an increase in the stability of nano-perforator and the provision of virus specificity, and thus can be usable as a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating viral infectious diseases.

The present invention provides a fusion polypeptide comprising a target polypeptide moiety and a self-aggregating peptide moiety, and a method of producing and purifying a target polypeptide by expressing the fusion polypeptide.

The present disclosure provides adoptive T cell therapies that have improved DARIC architectures for targeting tumor antigens and recruiting TCR signaling complexes for treating, preventing, or ameliorating at least one symptom of a cancer, infectious disease, autoimmune disease, inflammatory disease, and immunodeficiency, or condition associated therewith.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides an engineered cell having a first chimeric antigen receptor polypeptide including a first antigen recognition domain, a first signal peptide, a first hinge region, a first transmembrane domain, a first co-stimulatory domain, and a first signaling domain; and a second chimeric antigen receptor polypeptide including a second antigen recognition domain, a second signal peptide, a second hinge region, a second transmembrane domain, a second co-stimulatory domain, and a second signaling domain; wherein the first antigen recognition domain is different than the second antigen recognition domain.