The technology under discussion represents a significant advancement in the field of virology and immunization. It involves a novel live-attenuated respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine that is genetically modified by deleting the NS2 gene, which is known to elicit cellular responses to viral infection, and by incorporating a stabilized I030s mutation in the L protein to improve its safety and efficacy.
The bivalent rabies and Lassa virus vaccine represents a significant advancement in vaccine development, offering dual protection against two deadly viral diseases. By combining antigens from both viruses, this vaccine has shown promising immunogenicity in mice and efficacy in reducing viral yield in a relevant animal model.
The technology involves the development of a probiotic-based inhalational therapeutic for the prevention and treatment of acute respiratory virus infections. This innovative approach utilizes live or heat-inactivated cells of Lactobacillus plantarum, administered directly to the respiratory mucosa. This method has shown significant protection against lethal outcomes of respiratory virus infections by suppressing virus-induced proinflammatory cytokines.
This technology involves the screening of a library of 290 FDA-approved or clinically advanced compounds for their antiviral activity against Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV).
The discovery outlined in the Employee Discovery and Invention Report represents a significant advancement in veterinary vaccine technology, specifically targeting the bovine respiratory syncytial virus (bRSV). This innovation involves a "DS2" version of the bRSV F vaccine, which has been engineered to enhance immunogenicity through a prefusion-stabilized form of the F protein, absent of the fusion peptide and reinforced by cavity-filling mutations and inter-protomer disulfides.
Researchers have developed a groundbreaking influenza vaccine using a modular nanoparticle platform that displays hemagglutinin (HA) from various influenza strains on either separate or combined particles. Unlike traditional vaccines with limited efficacy due to antigenic mismatch, these novel nanoparticles can be customized to target seasonal strains, offering stronger immune responses and broader protection against multiple subtypes, including those not included in the annual vaccine formulation.
This technology involves the development of live attenuated vaccine candidates for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a significant cause of severe respiratory tract diseases, particularly in infants and young children. The approach focuses on relocating the NS1 and NS2 genes within the RSV genome to downstream positions, resulting in reduced transcription and expression. This gene-shifting strategy allows for controlled attenuation of the virus, avoiding over-attenuation seen with gene deletion. Combining gene shifts with other mutations fine-tunes the level of attenuation.
This technology includes compositions useful as inhibitors of acetyltransferase Eis, whose upregulation causes kanamycin (KAN) resistance of tuberculosis (TB) infections, and therefore can be developed and utilized as a treatment for TB. In particular, the compositions are sulfonamide-based and sulfonyl isothiazole-based small molecules. Drug adjuvants in TB represent a conceptually novel approach to combatting a serious global epidemic of drug-resistant TB.
This technology includes methods for the delivery of active bacteriophages or other agents to the lung, with the goal of reducing bacterial colonization and improving clinical outcomes. This is accomplished by encapsulating, immobilizing, or otherwise incorporating bacteriophages to polymer particles in the micro- to nano-scale size range in order to target their delivery to specific lung regions. The current example of this involves poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) particles conjugated to phages that kill Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients.
This technology includes Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates collected through CDC’s Global Strain Bank project with particular serotypes. They were collected as part of routine clinical and surveillance activities and have a wide variety of uses including research, diagnostic, and the development of therapeutics.