A method for synthesizing influenza virus-like particles (VLPs) within a plant or a portion of a plant is provided. The method involves expression of influenza HA in plants and the purification by size exclusion chromatography. The invention is also directed towards a VLP comprising influenza HA protein and plant lipids. The invention is also directed to a nucleic acid encoding influenza HA as well as vectors. The VLPs may be used to formulate influenza vaccines, or may be used to enrich existing vaccines.

The present invention provides, among other things, methods, reagents, and systems for the treatment, detection, analysis, and/or characterization of influenza infections.

The present invention concerns uses of immune suppressive domains. In particular, the present invention concerns a use of an immune suppressive domain (ISD) for immune suppression and for reduction of inflammation.

The present invention concerns uses of immune suppressive domains. In particular, the present invention concerns a use of an immune suppressive domain (ISD) for immune suppression and for reduction of inflammation.

The present invention provides, among other things, methods, reagents, and systems for the treatment, detection, analysis, and/or characterization of influenza infections.

The present invention teaches a system and method for identifying, targeting and destroying cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. This invention uses a vector engineered virus to selectively seek out cells that are both hotter than normal with a pH factor that is lower than normal thereby identifying cells that are cancerous regardless of location. Cancer succeeds for two reasons: i) rapid growth and ii) failure of the body's immune system to recognize the aberrant cells. This novel approach of using a dual vectored virus creates a dominant preference for locating and attaching to cancer cells, eliminating the need for chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and most major surgeries.

A method for synthesizing influenza virus-like particles (VLPs) within a plant or a portion of a plant is provided. The method involves expression of influenza HA in plants and the purification by size exclusion chromatography. The invention is also directed towards a VLP comprising influenza HA protein and plant lipids. The invention is also directed to a nucleic acid encoding influenza HA as well as vectors. The VLPs may be used to formulate influenza vaccines, or may be used to enrich existing vaccines.

The disclosure provides methods and compositions utilizing recombinant nucleic acid constructs encoding a chemokine, cytokine, or apoptosis inducing protein (e.g. Caspase 9 (Casp9)), or other toxins in a form which can only be transcribed in the presence of a viral polymerase. These methods can be adapted to target many viral infections and reduce or eliminate viral load, and provide a fundamentally different treatment for viral infections.

The invention provides a composition useful to prepare high titer influenza viruses, e.g., in the absence of helper virus, which includes internal genes from an influenza virus vaccine strain or isolate, e.g., one that is safe in humans, for instance, one that does not result in significant disease, and genes from vaccine seed virus isolates which include a HA gene segment with a HA2 sequence encoding a HA2 that confers enhanced growth in cells in culture, such as Vero cells.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is characterized by loss of pancreatic insulin-producing beta cells, resulting in insulin deficiency. The usual cause of this beta cell loss is autoimmune destruction. The inventors provide the first evidence of a causal link between influenza virus infection and the development of type 1 diabetes and/or pancreatitis. This causal link between infection and type 1 diabetes and/or pancreatitis provides various therapeutic, prophylactic and diagnostic opportunities.