The present disclosure provides compositions and methods for the generation of an antibody or immunogenic composition, such as a vaccine, through epitope focusing by variable effective antigen surface concentration. Generally, the composition and methods of the disclosure comprise three steps: a “design process” comprising one or more in silico bioinformatics steps to select and generate a library of potential antigens for use in the immunogenic composition; a “formulation process”, comprising in vitro testing of potential antigens, using various biochemical assays, and further combining two or more antigens to generate one or more immunogenic compositions; and an “administering” step, whereby the immunogenic composition is administered to a host animal, immune cell, subject or patient. Further steps may also be included, such as the isolation and production of antibodies raised by host immune response to the immunogenic composition.

The present invention relates to isolated polynucleotide and polypeptide sequences derived from novel chimpanzee adenovirus ChAd157, as well as to recombinant polynucleotides, vectors, adenoviruses, cells and compositions comprising said polynucleotide and polypeptide sequences.

A preparation method of an interfering peptide targeting SARS-CoV-2 N protein includes the following steps: designing an interfering peptide segment targeting amino acids located in a dimerization domain of the SARS-CoV-2 N protein; fusing the interfering peptide segment with HIV-TAT; modifying the interfering peptide segment fused with HIV-TAT into a reverse isomer to obtain an amino acid sequence of a final interfering peptide NIP-V; and synthesizing the interfering peptide NIP-V using D-amino acids as raw materials. The above-mentioned interfering peptide drug NIP-V is able to interact with the dimerization domain of the SARS-CoV-2 N protein, inhibit the oligomerization of N protein, and then relieve the inhibition for innate immunity by the N protein, so as to achieve the purpose of inhibiting the replication of SARS-CoV-2 virus in cells and animals.

Provided is a recombinant BCG employing a pMyong2 vector system to express HIV-1 p24 and a use thereof as a HIV-1 vaccine. rBCG-pMyong2-p24, which is a pMyong2 vector system, was found to induce the upregulation of HIV-1 p24 gag expression in rBCG and infected antigen-presenting cells (APC) and to induce improved p24-specific immune responses in vaccinated mice, compared to rBCG-pAL-p24 in a pAL5000 derived vector system. rBCG-pMyong2-p24 was identified to exhibit a higher p24-specific Ab production level than rSmeg-pMyong2-p24 in the same pMyong2 vector system. Therefore, the recombinant BCG employing rBCG-pMyong2-p24 to express HIV-1 p24 according to the present invention is identified to elicit enhanced immune responses to HIV-1 infection in mouse model systems and thus can be expected to be used as a prime vaccine in the heterologous prime-boost vaccination strategy against HIV-1 infection.

Described herein are compositions for treating or preventing a viral infection comprising bacteriophages that bind to the virus and block or inhibit viral entry into a host cell. Bacteriophage libraries may be screened to identify bacteriophages that bind to a virus of interest, and the identified bacteriophages may be used to treat or prevent an infection caused by the virus of interest. Also described herein are methods of treating or preventing a viral infection by administering a bacteriophage composition to a subject in vivo or to a surface in vitro. The bacteriophages in the composition may bind to the virus and inhibit viral entry into a host cell, thereby reducing the infectivity of the virus. Reducing the infectivity of the virus may treat or prevent the viral infection.

The invention relates to germline-targeting designs, stabilization designs, and/or combinations thereof, of proteins designed with modified surfaces helpful for immunization regimens, other protein modifications and/or development of nanoparticles, methods of making and using the same, and to (a) germline-targeting priming or boosting/shepherding immunogens to initiate or guide maturation of VRC01-class responses (b) PCT64/PG9-germline-targeting designs (c) BG18-germline-targeting designs or boosting/shepherding immunogens to initiate or guide maturation of BG18-like responses, and/or (d) trimer stabilization and presentation in a membrane-bound format.

The invention provides improved gene therapy vectors, compositions, and methods.

There is disclosed systems and methods for non-invasive delivery of an agent to biological tissues. Delivery of the agent to the tissues can be by one or more modalities. In some embodiments the systems and methods use agent carrier body including a tissue contacting surface for non-invasively engaging tissues under treatment. The tissue contacting surface can be at least partly defined by a plurality of protrusions that are in fluid communication with one or more reservoirs forming part of the agent carrier body. The protrusions may extend outward from an inside of a void and terminate at said tissue contacting surface.

This invention provides improved replication-competent adenoviral vectors. The improved vectors have both a hybrid regulatory unit that provides for high level transgene expression. The vectors can be use, e.g., for therapeutic or prophylactic purposes.

Stimulation of target cells using light, e.g., in vivo or in vitro, is implemented using a variety of methods and devices. One example involves a vector for delivering a light-activated NpHR-based molecule comprising a nucleic acid sequence that codes for light-activated NpHR-based molecule and a promoter. Either a high expression of the molecule manifests a toxicity level that is less than about 75%, or the light-activated NpHR-based proteins are expressed using at least two NpHR-based molecular variants. Each of the variants characterized in being useful for expressing a light-activated NpHR-based molecule that responds to light by producing an inhibitory current to dissuade depolarization of the neuron. Other aspects and embodiments are directed to systems, methods, kits, compositions of matter and molecules for ion pumps or for controlling inhibitory currents in a cell (e.g., in in vivo and in vitro environments).