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This technology includes genetically modified strains of Bdellovibrio and E. coli bacteria, along with associated plasmids, that have been engineered for antibiotic resistance. These modified bacterial strains and plasmids have been developed to replace specific genes with antibiotic resistance markers, allowing for more precise studies in genetic research, as well as the development and testing of new antibiotics.

The document details the creation of an anti-idiotypic monoclonal antibody specifically targeting the PGT121 monoclonal antibody (mAb) used in HIV treatment, highlighting its potential in both therapeutic and preventative applications. To ensure the consistent quality and effectiveness of the PGT121 mAb, these anti-idiotypic antibodies are developed for monitoring purposes during clinical applications.

This technology summary highlights the pivotal role of replicons, cell lines, and reporter virus particles (RVPs) in advancing Flavivirus research. Replicons, engineered from the viral genome, allow for controlled replication in host cells, while cell lines stably harboring these replicons provide valuable tools for drug discovery and the production of pseudo-infectious virus particles. These RVPs, composed of flavivirus structural proteins, underpin a high-throughput quantitative method for studying antibody-mediated neutralization of infection.

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.

The developed technology is a high-affinity polyclonal antibody targeting BST-2, a crucial surface antigen involved in restricting the replication of HIV-1 and other enveloped viruses. This antibody, generated from recombinant BST-2 ectodomain protein, offers versatility in various research techniques, such as FACS, immunoblotting, immunofluorescence, and immunoprecipitation. Additionally, it exhibits bioactivity, effectively inhibiting BST-2 function in virus-producing cells.

This groundbreaking technology entails the utilization of genetically modified mice, specifically engineered to enable the non-destructive detection and isolation of cells actively transcribing the IL-4 and IL-13 genes. By expressing Amcyan and DsRed-DR fluorescent proteins under the control of these gene loci, researchers gain a powerful tool for studying cytokine gene expression without the need for cell death, offering significant advantages over traditional intracellular staining methods.

This technology includes human F(ab’)2 fragments specific for anthrax lethal factor for the development of a lateral flow immunoassay for Bacillus anthracis Lethal Factor. The F(ab’)2 fragments are generated from a Human Combinatorial Antibody Library (HuCAL) and are highly specific with high affinity. A multi-step process was utilized beginning by screening a phage display library with over 45 billion functional human antibody specificities. The primary screen against Bacillus anthracis Lethal Factor (LF) generated 360 positive clones.

This technology includes 8 novel strains of the species Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus oralis, and Streptococcus infantis for vaccine or probiotic development. The capsular biosynthetic genes from each of these strains are highly related to pneumococcal counterparts encoding 5 capsular serotypes. All 8 of these non-pneumococcal strains were recovered from nasopharyngeal (NP) or oropharyngeal (OP) specimens.

This technology includes a compound, CDEU050, which has shown to have anti-Ebola virus activity in cell culture. CDEU050 is a novel small molecule, unrelated to any previously described inhibitor that blocks Ebola virus infection in cell culture.

This technology includes using defective interfering (DI) genomes as a therapeutic against various mononegavirales. DI genomes are defective versions of the wildtype viral genome, incapable of replicating by itself but able to interfere with replication of the wildtype virus. We developed both a system to identify and characterize multiple naturally occurring henipaviruses Nipah (NiV) DI genomes species, and a methodology to artificially produce high titer stocks of virions containing these DI genomes, termed DI particles (DIPs).