Abstract: The instant disclosure relates generally to oral inoculation and specifically to methods to prepare nasopharyngeal and oral material for oral inoculation of COVID-19. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (“SARS-CoV-2”) viral particles are collected from at least one of a nasopharyngeal specimen and an oral specimen each derived from a patient infected with SARS-CoV-2 or a SARS-CoV-2 variant. Mammalian cells (e.g., Vero-E6 and/or Vero-CCL81 cells) are infected with the SARS-CoV-2 viral particles to produce infected mammalian cells. The infected mammalian cells are cultured to produce a mammalian cell culture. SARS-CoV-2 viral particles are collected from the mammalian cell culture to produce isolated viral particles. The isolated viral particles are frozen to produce a frozen isolate. The frozen isolate is partitioned into a plurality of tablets each having a therapeutically effective amount of the SARS-CoV-2 viral particles. An enteric coating is applied to each tablet.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods for the rapid generation of recombinant poxviruses, for example, to enable vaccine development.

Abstract: Provided are compositions and methods for treating, ameliorating and preventing infections, disorders and conditions in mammals, including genetically-predisposed and chronic disorders, where a microbial or bacterial flora is at least one causative or symptom-producing factor. Provided are compositions and methods used to treat, prevent or ameliorate an infection, for example, an infection in the gastrointestinal tract, or bowel.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides T-cell modulatory multimeric polypeptides (“T-Cell-MMPs”) comprising an immunomodulatory polypeptide (“MOD”) that may be selected to exhibit reduced binding affinity to a cognate co-immunomodulatory polypeptide (“Co-MOD”) and a location for covalently attaching a molecule that can serve as an epitope, such as an epitope peptide. Once the epitope molecule is attached the resulting T-Cell-MMP-epitope conjugates are useful for modulating the activity of a T-cell by delivering immunomodulatory peptides, such as IL-2 or IL-2 variants that exhibit reduced binding affinity for IL-2R, to the T-cells in an epitope selective/specific manner, and accordingly, for modulating an immune response in an individual.

Abstract: A method of recovering viable phage from, for example, a crude phage preparation such as a lysate resulting from amplification of phage in bacterial cell culture is disclosed. The method may be “universal”; that is, applicable to the purification of a broad range of phage species and strains. The phage product resulting from the method may have an acceptably low endotoxin titer (e.g. less than 500 EU/ml) and sufficiently high phage titer (e.g. >1×109 PFU/ml) for use in therapeutic applications.

Abstract: The present invention provides a semi-quantitative phage-based assay for Mycobacterial infection, in which the phage assay plaque count correlates to the number of viable Mycobacterial organisms in the subject sample, and methods of use thereof for diagnosing, treating or monitoring Mycobacterial infection.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method for the treatment or prophylaxis of coronavirus infection, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of an immunomodulator to a subject in need thereof or at risk of coronavirus infection. A vaccine composition comprising a pharmaceutically effective amount of an immunomodulator is also provided.

Abstract: The present invention relates to nanostructure-binding partner conjugates, as well as reaction mixtures, analyte detection devices, and methods of making and using the conjugates. In particular, the invention provides a method of detecting a target analyte in a sample comprising mixing the sample with a first detection conjugate and a second detection conjugate in solution, wherein the first and second detection conjugates comprise metallic nanostructures coupled to binding partners that are capable of specifically binding to the target analyte if present in the sample to form a complex between the first detection conjugate, the analyte, and the second detection conjugate, wherein a change in an optical signal upon complex formation indicates the presence of the target analyte in the sample.

Abstract: Provided are compositions and methods for treating, ameliorating and preventing various infections, disorders and conditions in mammals, including genetically-predisposed and chronic disorders, where a microbial or bacterial flora is at least one causative or symptom-producing factor, where exemplary compositions are products of manufacture, a food, a drink, a nutraceutical, a dietary supplement, a formulation, a pharmaceutical or a pharmaceutical preparation comprising at least one or several of: a plurality of isolated, or substantially purified bacteriophages or prophages, or bacteriophage subunits, a milk, a milk product, milk lipid, milk fat globule (MFG) macromolecule, a milk mucin, a milk glycolipid, a milk free glycan, a milk mucin-like glycoprotein, a milk protein, a milk sugar or lactose, a milk fat or butterfat, a milk vitamin.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the delivery of a payload by bacterial delivery vehicle, i.e. the encapsulation and the delivery of a single plasmid by different bacterial virus particles. More specifically, the present invention concerns a pharmaceutical composition comprising a payload packaged in at least two different bacterial delivery vehicles and a method of production thereof.

Abstract: The present disclosure belongs to the technical field of biological products for veterinary medicine, and specifically relates to a recombinant foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) with a reduced immunosuppressive activity, a preparation method and use thereof, and a recombinant vaccine strain. According to the present disclosure, it is firstly discovered that FMDV 3B protein has an immunosuppressive function, and key sites for exerting the immunosuppressive function are found. A recombinant FMDV vaccine strain with a lost immunosuppressive function in FMDV 3B protein is constructed by introducing amino acid mutations into three repeated copies of FMDV 3B protein.

Abstract: Aggregation-induced emission-bacteriophage bioconjugate including a bacteriophage covalently bonded to at least one aggregation-induced emission luminogen via an optional linker, pharmaceutical compositions including the same, and methods of preparation and use thereof.

Abstract: A saliva-based testing method that bypasses the need for RNA isolation/purification is described herein. In experiments with inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus spiked into saliva, this method has a limit of detection of 500-1000 viral particles per mL, rivalling the standard NP swab method. Initial studies showed excellent performance with 100 clinical samples. This saliva-based process is operationally simple, utilizes readily available materials, and can be easily implemented by existing testing sites thus allowing for high-throughput, rapid, and repeat testing of large populations.

Abstract: The present invention provides compositions, vaccines and methods for inducing protective immunity against filovirus infection, particularly protective immunity against infection of one or more subtypes of Ebola viruses and Marburg virus.

Abstract: Reported herein are novel recombinant respiratory syncytial viruses (RSV) having an attenuated phenotype in which the native positions of the NS1 and/or NS2 genes in the RSV genome are shifted to a higher position, that is at positions that are more distal to the promoter. The changes in the gene positions may be present in combination with mutations at other loci to achieve desired levels of attenuation and immunogenicity. The recombinant RSV strains described here are suitable for use as live-attenuated RSV vaccines. Also provided are polynucleotide sequences capable of encoding the described viruses, as well as methods for producing and using the viruses.

Abstract: The present invention relates to nucleic acid regulatory elements that are able to enhance diaphragm-specific expression of genes, in particular expression in diaphragm as such, or in combination with expression in cardiac muscle and/or skeletal muscle, methods employing these regulatory elements and uses of these elements. Expression cassettes and vectors containing these nucleic acid regulatory elements are also disclosed. The present invention is particularly useful for applications using gene therapy, more particularly diaphragm-directed gene therapy, and for vaccination purposes.

Abstract: Disclosed are compositions for generating an immune response against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and their methods of uses.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to immunization and immunotherapy for the treatment or prevention of HIV. In particular, the methods include in vivo and/or ex vivo enrichment of HIV-specific CD4+ T cells.

Abstract: Provided are engineered phages populations, which are homogeneous in length, as well as methods of making and methods of using such phages. Also provided are engineered chlorotoxin-phages as well as their methods of making and using. The disclosed homogeneous phage populations and chlorotoxin-phages may be used, for example, for treating and/or imaging tumors, such as central nervous system tumors.

Abstract: Provided is a method and composition using ROS to increase the production of bacteriophage. According to the subject matter, a production amount of bacteriophage is increased several times in the presence of the sublethal concentration of ROS for host bacteria. Therefore, the method and composition of the subject matter can be useful for producing bacteriophage, which is used as an alternative to antibiotics that cause a serious resistance problem.