The present invention relates to a macromolecule-based nanostructure, such as a DNA-based nanostructure, for encapsulating a virus or viral particle, to a composition comprising a virus or viral particle encapsulated by such a macromolecule-based nanostructure according to the present invention, and to a method for encapsulating a virus or viral particle by using such a macromolecule-based nanostructure

The present disclosure relates to hybrid hepadnavirus core antigens including one or more epitopes of a human hepatitis B vims (HBV) antigen. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to hybrid hepadnavirus core antigens in the form of fusion proteins containing a fragment of the PreS1 region of the HBV surface antigen inserted in a woodchuck hepadnavirus core antigen. The present disclosure further relates to hybrid hepadnavirus core antigens in the form of fusions proteins containing a truncated HBV core antigen and woodchuck hepadnavirus core antigen. Also provided are nucleic acids encoding the hybrid core antigens, and the use of the hybrid core antigens and nucleic acids for treating HBV-infected individuals.

Fusion proteins comprising one or more portions of hepatitis virus core antigen (HBcAg) fused to immunogenic portions of influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) protein, and nanoparticles (virus-like particles) formed from such proteins, nucleic acid molecules encoding such proteins, methods of making such nanoparticles, methods of using the disclosed nanoparticles to vaccinate an individual against influenza virus, and antibodies elicited by vaccination of a mammal with the disclosed nanoparticles.

Embodiments described herein provide orthohepadnavirus capsid protein (Cp) heterodimers, bicistronic vectors encoding the heterodimers, and methods for producing the heterodimers. The heterodimers can be used to form mosaic virus-like particles. In certain embodiments, the heterodimers can form a hexamer, which in turn can be used to nucleate capsid formation, resulting in a Janus particle-like virus-like particle. The hexamer's can then be removed, leaving holey capsids. The capsids can be loaded with, for example, one or more polypeptides, small molecules, or a combination of polypeptides and small molecules. The holes of the holey capsids can be filled with another orthohepadnavirus heterodimer or a homodimer.

The invention provides a novel fusion protein between flagellin (or portions thereof) and a polypeptide that can form a virus-like particle (VLP) (e.g., hepatitis b core (HBc) protein or portions thereof), where the fusion protein continues to form a VLP in an aqueous environment. The VLPs based on such fusion proteins (e.g., FH VLPs) provide a versatile, highly immunogenic, and safe vaccine carrier capable of displaying or associating a variety of vaccine antigens on VLP surface to elicit potent humoral and cellular immune responses.

The present invention provides a virus-like particle comprising several or more types of HBs-L antigen proteins or a virus-like particle composition comprising a combination of the virus-like particles, for the purpose of provision of an antigen that triggers an immune reaction against HBV of various genotypes.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 antigen virus-like particles (VLPs) and recombinant immune complexes (RICs) are described, along with methods of making said VLPs and RICs in plants and using said VLPs and RICs to induce an immune response in a subject.

This invention reveals the pharmaceutical composition that includes the surface antigen (HBsAg) of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the antigen of the nucleocapsid (or core, HBcAg) of the same virus. The HBcAg of this composition contains messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) at a proportion of over 45% of the total amount of ribonucleic acid (RNA) in this antigen. Because of the changes in the constitution of the antigens forming it, the composition of the invention is useful for the prevention or treatment of chronic hepatitis B. It also covers the use of this pharmaceutical composition in the production of a drug for immuno-prophylaxis or immunotherapy against HBV infection, and its use to increase the immune response against an additional antigen that is co-administered with the mixture of these antigens.

Genetically modified HBc polypeptides are provided.

The present invention relates to a recombinant self-assembled protein comprising a target-oriented peptide and a use thereof. The recombinant self-assembled protein according to the present invention, comprising a target-oriented peptide, does not require an additional process for providing target-orientedness, and is thus capable of delivering a desired drug to a target tissue or target cell without using additives, such as chemical binders or stabilizers; therefore, the protein can be used for photothermal therapy, drug delivery, imaging, or the like. In particular, according to the present invention, it is possible to prepare gold-protein nanoparticle fusions in which uniform high-density gold nanoparticles having target-orientedness are bound to protein surfaces, without an additional process of surface stabilization or process for providing target-orientedness. Compared with conventional gold nanoparticles, the gold-protein nanoparticle fusions according to the present invention show structural stability against pH variation and concentration variation, and also have excellent target-orientedness; therefore, the fusions can bring a dramatic enhancement to the utilization of gold nanoparticles in photothermal therapy.