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Virus entry into a susceptible host cell is the first step in the formation of all viral diseases. Controlling viral infections by disrupting viral entry is advantageous for antibody-mediated neutralization by the host’s immune system and as a preventive and therapeutic antiviral strategy. Plant-derived carbohydrate-binding proteins (lectins) have emerged as a new class of antiviral biologics by taking advantage of a unique glycosylation pattern only found on the surface of viruses.

CD22 is a common cell surface glycoprotein expressed in B-cells and present in B-cell lymphomas; e.g., hairy cell leukemia (HCL), non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL), chronic lymphoblastic leukemia (CLL), and other cancers. It is therefore a target for cancer immunotherapy. Conjugation of anti-CD22 monoclonal antibodies with toxins or drugs has shown promise in clinical trials. However, all monoclonal anti-CD22 antibodies used in clinical trials are of murine origin.

Adoptive T-cell therapy (ACT) utilizes tumor-reactive T cells to induce disease remission. While ACT has been used effectively to treat metastatic melanoma and certain epithelial cancers, most patients do not respond to treatment. Although the mechanisms underlying this variable response to therapy are not fully elucidated, the phenotype of the adoptively transferred cell is known to be a key determinant of treatment efficacy.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections remain a pandemic, most prevalent in Africa and the Americas. Anti-retroviral treatments have been effective in preventing spread of the virus and active outbreaks of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). However, the development and deployment of an effective vaccine would provide long-lasting protection and alleviate the need to depend heavily on prevention methods that require continued access and adherence.

GSD-Ia is an inherited disorder of metabolism associated with life-threatening hypoglycemia, hepatic malignancy, and renal failure caused by the deficiency of glucose-6-phosphatase-alpha (G6Pase-alpha or G6PC). Current therapy, which primarily consists of dietary modification, fails to prevent long-term complications in many patients, including growth failure, gout, pulmonary hypertension, renal dysfunction, osteoporosis, and hepatocellular adenomas (HCA).

One form of adoptive T cell therapy (ACT) consists of harvesting tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), screening and isolating TIL which display tumor antigen-specific T-cell receptors (TCR), expanding the isolated T cells in vitro, and reinfusing them into the patient for treatment. While highly active in the treatment of certain cancers (e.g., melanoma), current methods used to produce cancer-reactive T cells require significant time and may not adequately identify the desired TCRs which bind cancer targets.

The blood brain barrier (BBB) is a specialized endothelium that prevents the uptake of substances from the systemic circulation into the central nervous system. This barrier, while protecting the sensitive physiological environment of the brain, is also a major impediment in administering therapeutics that need to pass through the BBB. A drug delivery platform that could deliver therapeutic agents directly to the brain is needed, and could have wide ranging significance in a variety of psychiatric, oncology, infectious, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Several viral epidemics – such as the epidemics caused by H1N1 influenza virus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Ebola virus, Zika virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) virus and SARS-CoV-2 – have profoundly impacted global human health. Early identification of infected and/or infectious persons and isolating them from the population are some of the most effective and evident measures to prevent human-to-human spreading.

Gel materials, particularly hydrogels, typically lose their mechanical strength and stiffness as they swell. This property  limits their use in both biological (e.g., cartilage and ECM repair) and non-biological (e.g., sealant) applications. Innovative materials in both medical and non-medical application areas are sorely needed.

Some existing therapies for treatment of pain are administered systematically and have significant side effects, such as addiction and drowsiness. Alternative therapy that does not impair normal touch function could be used to treat pain caused by mechanical injury or chronic inflammation. Administration of margaric acid was shown to ameliorate pain in mouse models of pain. In vitro data shows that margaric acid counteracts PIEZO2 (Piezo-type mechanosensitive ion channel component 2) potentiation evoked by bradykinin (i.e.