Abstract: The present disclosure provides Cas protein variants comprising one or more amino acid substitutions relative to wild-type Cas14a1. Fusion proteins comprising the Cas protein variants described herein are also provided by the present disclosure. Further provided herein are methods for modifying a target nucleic acid using the Cas proteins and fusion proteins provided herein. The present disclosure also provides guide RNAs, complexes, polynucleotides, systems, cells, kits, and pharmaceutical compositions.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are compositions, methods, kits, and systems relating to efficient delivery of cargos (e.g., therapeutic cargos) into cells, for instance, for in vivo delivery. The present disclosure provides lipid-containing particles (e.g., virus-like particles) for delivering therapeutic cargos. The present disclosure also provides polynucleotides encoding the lipid-containing particles provided herein, which may be useful for producing said lipid-containing particles. Also provided are methods for editing nucleic acid molecules in cells using the lipid-containing particles provided herein, as well as cells and kits comprising the lipid-containing particles.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are compositions, methods, kits, and systems relating to efficient delivery of cargos (e.g., therapeutic cargos) into cells, for instance, for in vivo delivery. The present disclosure provides lipid-containing particles (e.g., virus-like particles) for delivering therapeutic cargos. The present disclosure also provides polynucleotides encoding the lipid-containing particles provided herein, which may be useful for producing said lipid-containing particles. Also provided are methods for editing nucleic acid molecules in cells using the lipid-containing particles provided herein, as well as cells and kits comprising the lipid-containing particles.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides virus-like particles (VLPs) for delivering prime editors, and systems comprising such prime editor (PE) VLPs. The present disclosure also provides polynucleotides encoding the PE-VLPs described herein, which may be useful for producing said PE-VLPs. Also provided herein are methods for editing the genome of a target cell by introducing the presently described PE-VLPs into the target cell. The present disclosure also provides fusion proteins that make up a component of the PE-VLPs described herein, as well as polynucleotides, vectors, cells, and kits.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are compositions, methods, kits, and systems relating to efficient delivery of cargos (e.g., therapeutic cargos) into cells, for instance, for in vivo delivery. The present disclosure provides lipid-containing particles (e.g., virus-like particles) for delivering therapeutic cargos. The present disclosure also provides polynucleotides encoding the lipid-containing particles provided herein, which may be useful for producing said lipid-containing particles. Also provided are methods for editing nucleic acid molecules in cells using the lipid-containing particles provided herein, as well as cells and kits comprising the lipid-containing particles.

Abstract: The instant specification provides novel assays and systems for determining off-target effects of base editors. These assays and systems may comprise bacterial and/or eukaryotic cell systems and may be used to determine off-target editing frequencies, including Cas9-independent off-target editing frequencies. Also provided herein are novel base editors, wherein the base editors have reduced Cas9-independent off-target editing frequencies while maintaining high on-target editing efficiencies. Further provided are methods of contacting a nucleic acid molecule with these base editors to obtain reduced off-target editing frequencies, and in particular reduced Cas9-independent off-target editing events. Further provided are methods of treatment comprising administering these base editors to a subject. Also provided are pharmaceutical compositions comprising the base editors described herein, and nucleic acids, vectors, cells, and kits useful for the generation of these base editors.

Abstract: The present invention provides nanoparticles and compositions of various constructs that combine meta-stable viral proteins (e.g., RSV F protein) and self-assembling molecules (e.g., ferritin, HSPs) such that the pre-fusion conformational state of these key viral proteins is preserved (and locked) along with the protein self-assembling into a polyhedral shape, thereby creating nanoparticles that are effective vaccine agents. The invention also provides nanoparticles comprising a viral fusion protein, or fragment or variant thereof, and a self-assembling molecule, and immunogenic and vaccine compositions including the same.