Provided herein are methods for treating, reducing or preventing influenza A virus infection in a patient, as well as compositions and articles of manufacture for treating, reducing or preventing influenza A virus infection in a patient.

An in vitro process of preparing virus-like particles (VLPs) from recombinant papaya mosaic virus coat protein and ssRNA, which allows for large scale production of VLPs in high yields, is provided. Also provided are VLPs comprising ssRNA prepared by the in vitro process. The VLPs can be used as adjuvants and when fused to an antigen, as vaccines. The use of the VLPs for stimulation of the innate immune response is also provided.

The present invention provides an anti-influenza virus agent that targets biomolecules of host cells including human cells and a method of screening a candidate molecule for the anti-influenza virus agent. That is, the present invention is an anti-influenza virus agent that has an effect of suppressing expression or a function of a gene that encodes a protein having an effect of suppressing incorporation of an influenza virus vRNA or an NP protein into influenza virus-like particles in host cells and the gene is at least one selected from the group including JAK1 gene and the like.

Nutritional compositions with fucosyllactose and betagalactooligosaccharides for use in stimulation of the immune system. The composition is suitable for infants.

A method of identification and elimination of immunodominant epitopes to elicit a response to secondary epitopes, especially conserved structures, is described, and applied to influenza haemagglutinin (HA). Identification of the primary epitopes in (HA), and replacement of amino acids having high LODrps with corresponding low LODrps amino acids produces an HA molecule which induces antibody responses to conserved HA residues. Modified HA molecules induce a broadly neutralizing vaccine.

A method of identification and elimination of immunodominant epitopes to elicit a response to secondary epitopes, especially conserved structures, is described, and applied to influenza haemagglutinin (HA). Identification of the primary epitopes in (HA), and replacement of amino acids having high LODrps with corresponding low LODrps amino acids produces an HA molecule which induces antibody responses to conserved HA residues. Modified HA molecules induce a broadly neutralizing vaccine.

The present invention provides new compositions and methods for preventing and treating pathogen infection. In particular, the present invention provides compounds having an anchoring domain that anchors the compound to the surface of a target cell, and a therapeutic domain that can act extracellularly to prevent infection of a target cell by a pathogen, such as a virus. The present invention also comprises therapeutic compositions having sialidase activity, including protein-based compounds having sialidase catalytic domains. Compounds of the invention can be used for treating or preventing pathogen infection, and for treating and reducing allergic and inflammatory responses. The invention also provides compositions and methods for enhancing transduction of target cells by recombinant viruses. Such compositions and methods can be used in gene therapy.

The present invention provides antibodies that neutralize infection of influenza A virus. The invention also provides nucleic acids that encode and immortalized B cells and cultured plasma cells that produce such antibodies. In addition, the invention provides the use of the antibodies of the invention in prophylaxis and treatment influenza A infection.

The present inventors discovered that antibodies having weaker antigen-binding activity at the early endosomal pH in comparison with that at the pH of plasma are capable of binding to multiple antigen molecules with a single antibody molecule, have long half-lives in plasma, and have improved durations of time in which they can bind to antigen.

The present invention relates to the production of avian induced pluripotent stem cells from non-pluripotent somatic cells, including embryonic fibroblasts and adult somatic cells. In this method, avian (including quail or chicken) somatic cells are reprogrammed into a state closely resembling embryonic stem cells including the expression of key stem cell markers alkaline phosphatase, etc. by transfecting/transducing the non-stem cells with genes (preferably using a non-integrating vector as otherwise described herein or alternatively an integrating vector, such a lentiviral vector, retroviral vector or inducible lentiviral vector, among others) which express at least nanog, Lin28 and cMyc. In preferred aspects of the invention, the transfected/transduced vectors express nanog, Lig28, cMyc, Oct 4 (POU5F1 or PouV), SOX2 and KLF4. The induced stem cells which are produced contribute to all 3 germ layers, the trophectoderm and in certain aspects, the gonad in chimeric offspring.