Immune checkpoint inhibitors (e.g. CTLA-4, PD-L1) have recently shown significant promise in the treatment of cancer.  However, when used alone, these checkpoint inhibitors are limited by the absence or repression of immune cells within the targeted cancer.  For those cancers associated with these limited immune systems, there remains a need for effective therapies.  Agents capable of recruiting and activating immune cells to these types of cancers could extend the overall and complete response rates of combination therapies within the immunooncology domain. 

Soluble forms (sCD4) of human CD4, the HIV-1 primary receptor, are potent HIV-1 entry inhibitors. Both four-domain (D1-4) and two-domain (D1D2) sCD4 and their fusion proteins have been tested as candidate therapeutics in animal models and in human clinical trials and were well tolerated by patients with no significant clinical or immunologic toxicities and exhibited significant inhibitory activities. However, their activities were transient and the virus rapidly rebound.

Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing blood vessels. Angiogenesis occurs during normal growth and development (physiological angiogenesis) and during the growth of solid tumors (pathological angiogenesis). CD276, also known as B7-H3, is a cell surface tumor endothelial marker that is highly expressed in the tumor vessels of human lung, breast, colon, endometrial, renal, and ovarian cancer, but not in the angiogenic vessels of normal, healthy tissue.

Soluble forms of human CD4 (sCD4) inhibit HIV-1 entry into immune cells.  Different forms of sCD4 and their fusion proteins have been extensively studied in animal models and clinical trials as promising HIV-1 inhibitors. However, they have not been successful in clinical trials due to their transient efficacy.  sCD4 is also known to interact with class II major histocompatibility complex (MHCII) and, at low concentrations, could enhance HIV-1 infectivity. 

The tumor microenvironment consists of a heterogenous population of cells which includes tumor cells and tumor-associated stroma cells (TASCs). The TASCs promote tumor angiogenesis, proliferation, invasion and metastasis. Because stroma cells are found in both healthy and cancerous tissue, targeting the tumor stroma has been difficult due to the lack of targets with high tumor specificity.

The National Cancer Institute's  Cancer and Inflammation Program is seeking statements of capability or interest from parties interested in licensing this technology. 

The development of an effective HIV vaccine has been an ongoing area of research. The high variability in HIV-1 virus strains has represented a major challenge in successful development.  Ideally, an effective candidate vaccine would provide protection against the majority of clades of HIV.  Two major hurdles to overcome are immunodominance and sequence diversity.  This vaccine utilizes a strategy for overcoming these two issues by identifying the conserved regions of the virus and exploiting them for use in a targeted therapy. 

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.

Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing blood vessels. Angiogenesis occurs during normal growth and development, where it is known as physiological angiogenesis, and during the growth of solid tumors, where it is known as pathological angiogenesis. CD276, also known as B7-H3, is a cell surface tumor endothelial marker that is highly expressed in the tumor vessels of human lung, breast, colon, endometrial, renal, and ovarian cancer, but not in the angiogenic vessels of healthy tissue.

No effective therapeutics or vaccines against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) are available. The human-to-human aspect of transmission and the high mortality rate associated with MERS-CoV infection have raised concerns over the potential for a future MERS-CoV pandemic and emphasized the need for development of effective therapeutics and vaccines.