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Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the colorectum and affects approximately 400,000 people in the United States. The cause of UC is not known, although an abnormal immunological response to bacterial antigens in the gut microflora is thought to be involved. Present treatments for UC include anti-inflammatory therapy using aminosalicylates or corticosteroids, as well as immunomodulators and diet.

Available for licensing is the A.E7 T cell clone, a model Th1 clone described in Matis et al., J Immunol. 1983 Apr;130(4):1527-1535 [PubMed abs] and J Immunol. 1983 Sep;131(3):1049-1055 [PubMed abs].

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the cause of Hepatitis E, a liver disease that occurs primarily in developing countries due to fecal contaminated drinking water. Outbreaks of HEV infection have caused epidemics in Africa, Central and Southeast Asia and Mexico and cases of the disease have also been reported sporadically in more developed countries. Hepatitis E is most often overcome by a host’s natural defenses; however the disease is more severe in pregnant women, who exhibit a 20% mortality rate due to HEV infection.

Two chimpanzee mAbs specifically reacted with light chain of the botulinum neurotoxin A and neutralize the toxin in the mouse model. They can be used for emergency prophylaxis and treatment of either naturally acquired or terrorist associated botulism. Since the sequence of chimpanzee immune globulin is virtually identical to that of humans, the MAbs are not expected to have problems in repeated administration as equine antibodies. They can also be used for rapid diagnosis of botulinum neurotoxin A.

Reactivation of latent Varicella-Zoster virus (VZV) infection is the cause of shingles, which is prominent in adults over the age of 60 and individuals who have compromised immune systems, due to HIV infection, cancer treatment and/or transplant. Shingles is a worldwide health concern that affects approximately 600,000 Americans each year. The incidence of shingles is also high in Europe, South America, and India; the latter having an estimated two million individuals affected, yearly.

The available technologies describe specific immunogenic peptides, peptide modifications and methods for identifying additional immunogens against HIV-1 surface proteins, gp120 and gp41. Additionally, detailed methods for use of the described immunogenic peptides in the development of vaccines and diagnostics for HIV-1 are disclosed. The current technologies further include a comprehensive system for immunogen design, comprising in silico design coupled to feedback from X-ray crystallography, antigenic analysis, and immunization.

Available for licensing from the NIH are gene constructs that express immunogenic proteins based on viral genes that have been optimized for expression in mammalian cells. Using vaccine vectors expressing respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) proteins from the optimized genes, this technology was shown to result in a potent RSV-specific cellular immune responses with favorable phenotypic patterns. This technology was shown to generate a superior immune (both humoral and cellular) response when utilized as part of a heterologous vector prime-boost regimen.

This technology identifies twenty five (25) new alternatively spliced transcripts of the BORIS gene. The transcripts lead to the expression of seventeen different protein isoforms with variable N- and C-termini encoded by BORIS gene locus. Differential expression levels of BORIS isoforms were observed in different cancers. While some BORIS alternative splice variants were expressed at different levels in all types of cancers, other expressed forms are specific to particular cancer(s).

The present research tool is a knockout mouse model (FPR^-/-) that lacks the high affinity N-formylpeptide receptor (FPR), created by targeted gene disruption.

The disease burden associated with dengue virus infection has increased over the past several decades in the tropical and semi-tropical regions of the world, where over 2 billion people live at risk of dengue infection. Annually, there are an estimated fifty (50) to one hundred (100) million cases of dengue fever, making development of an effective vaccine a priority. In addition, there is a need for a "travelers vaccine" to protect those visiting dengue virus endemic areas, similar in scope to other currently available "travelers vaccines", such as hepatitis A vaccine.