Licensing Availability: Methods of Diagnosing and Treating CHAPLE, A Newly Identified Orphan Disease

This technology is directed towards a potential treatment for a new disease, CHAPLE (Complement Hyperactivation, Angiopathic thrombosis, and Protein-Losing Enteropathy), identified by NIAID researchers. CHAPLE is associated with GI symptoms and vascular thrombosis and is caused by loss-of-function variants in the gene encoding the complement regulatory protein CD55. The disease is caused by enhanced activation of the complement pathway and complement-mediated induction of intestinal lymphangiectasia and protein-losing enteropathy.

A New Class of Immunomodulatory Drugs for Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease caused by activated autoimmune T lymphocytes in patients resulting in inflammatory demyelination in the central nervous system. Current treatments are focused on functional control of these activated autoimmune T cells, but these treatments are non-specific T cell inhibitors and have serious, sometimes fatal side effects. A specific therapy aimed at eliminating these autoimmune T cells through restimulation-induced cell death (RICD) could cure the disease and overcome the fatal side effects of current therapies.

Floxed Targeted Mouse Strain for Use in Conditional Deletion of the Irf8 Gene

IRF8, a member of interferon regulatory factor (IRF) family of transcription factors is a novel intrinsic transcriptional inhibitor of TH17-cell differentiation. TH17-cells are believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of various autoimmune/inflammatory diseases. These materials could be used to help define patterns of gene expression important for the development and function of cells including possible contributions to understanding: normal immune responses, inflammatory conditions, autoimmunity and anti-viral responses.

Broadly Protective Influenza Vaccine Comprising a Cocktail of Inactivated Avian Influenza Viruses

There is a great need for broadly protective, “universal” influenza virus vaccines given the antigenic drift and shift of influenza viruses and the variable protective efficacy of the current influenza vaccines. This technology relates to a broadly protective, “universal” influenza vaccine candidate composed of a cocktail of different low pathogenicity avian influenza virus subtypes inactivated by betapropiolactone (BPL).

Use of the Intracellular Signaling Domain of Receptor CD28H as a Component of Chimeric Antigen Receptors to Overcome Inhibition of Cytotoxic Lymphocytes by Checkpoint Receptors

Engineered chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that are expressed in cytotoxic T cells and natural killer (NK) cells have been used to specifically target tumor cells. However, CAR-T and CAR-NK cells are still subject to down regulation by their inhibitory receptors after injection into patients.

Newcastle Disease Virus-Like Particle Displaying Prefusion Stabilized SARS-CoV-2 Spike and Its Use

SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in a global pandemic, sparking urgent vaccine development efforts. The trimeric SARS-CoV-2 spike stabilized in its prefusion conformation by the addition of 2 proline mutations (“SARS-CoV-2 S2P”) is the antigenic basis of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines that are currently authorized for use in the United States.

Tumor Associated Calcium Signal Transducer 2 (TACSTD2)-Overexpressing Huh7.5 Cells That Are More Permissive to HCV Cell Entry and Replication Compared to the Model Huh7.5 Cell Line

Worldwide, 130-150 million individuals are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), a major cause of liver-associated morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite recent advances in antiviral drugs that can cure some individuals, a rapid decline of the global disease burden is hampered by remarkably high treatment costs and a high number of undiagnosed infections. Moreover, a significant number of patients develop resistance and additional treatment modalities may be needed to dramatically reduce the worldwide incidence of HCV infection.