Abstract: Impurities in a liquefied solid fuel utilized in a droplet generator of an extreme ultraviolet photolithography system are removed from vessels containing the liquefied solid fuel. Removal of the impurities increases the stability and predictability of droplet formation which positively impacts wafer yield and droplet generator lifetime.

Abstract: A system for monitoring and controlling an EUV light source includes a first temperature sensor, a signal processor, and a process controller. The first temperature sensor includes a portion inserted into a space surrounded by a plurality of vanes through a vane of the plurality of vanes, and obtains an ambient temperature that decreases with time as a function of tin contamination coating on the inserted portion. The signal processor determines an excess tin debris deposition on the vane based on the obtained chamber ambient temperature. The process controller activates a vane cleaning action upon being informed of the excess tin debris deposition by the signal processor, thereby improving availability of the EUV light source tool and reducing risks of tin pollution on other tools such as a reticle.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an extracellular vesicle (EV)-based nucleic acid composition or vaccine (EV-NAV), comprising EVs loaded with polynucleotides each encoding, e.g., the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, and polynucleotides each encoding, e.g., SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein, wherein said polynucleotides are designed to be simultaneously expressed, and to induce a humoral immune response and/or a cellular immune response, in a subject. The present invention also relates to compositions and methods for the design, preparation, manufacture, formulation, and therapeutic or prophylactic use of said EV-NAVs, e.g., exosomes loaded with mRNAs encoding multiple surface and cytoplasmic antigens derived from, e.g., SARS-CoV-2, to elicit strong humoral and cellular immune responses.

Abstract: Coronavirus egress is mediated by lysosomal exocytosis. It is demonstrated herein that the D614G mutation enhances Spike trafficking to lysosomes and the lysosomal accumulation of newly synthesized virus particles, augments Spike-mediated disruption of endomembrane homeostasis, and causes a 3-fold reduction in cell surface Spike expression. Moreover, it is shown that the D614G mutation is an intragenic suppressor of the 12 nucleotide-long furin cleavage site (FCS) insertion, restoring Spike trafficking to lysosomes and TMPRSS2-independent infectivity, both of which had been impaired by the prior FCS insertion mutation. This data identifies enhanced lysosomal sorting as the earliest known manifestation of the D614G mutation, have implications for virus evolution, immunity, and vaccine design, and support a lysosomal model of coronavirus biogenesis and entry.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods for the detection of target specific antibodies in samples. The methods include the detection of pathogen-specific antibodies, such as SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies. Also included is a kit for use for the detection of pathogen specific antibodies in a sample. In one aspect, the disclosure provides a method of detecting the presence of a target specific antibody in a sample by (i) contacting the sample with a test cell comprising one or more exogenous nucleic acid sequences encoding one or more target proteins; and (ii) detecting the presence of the target specific antibody in the sample by contacting the immune complex of (i) with an anti-immunoglobulin (Ig) antibody, and detecting the anti-immunoglobulin (Ig) antibody, thereby detecting the presence of a target specific antibody.

Abstract: The present invention relates to engineered selectable marker proteins for recombinant protein expression, as well as novel expression vector designs for achieving high-level recombinant protein expression, and cells transfected therewith as a platform technology for producing extracellular vesicle-based therapeutic or prophylactic compositions, wherein one or more recombinant proteins of interest are displayed on the surface of the extracellular vesicles. As an example, the present invention relates to a virus-like article composition comprising such extracellular vesicles displaying one or more antigens configured to induce immune responses against SARS-CoV-2.