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The technology described in this patent application relates to recombinant viruses for use as vaccines. These viruses contain a single or plurality of sequences encoding antigens from pathogenic viruses heterologous to the recombinant virus.

This invention relates to a strain of Moraxella catarrhalis containing a gene mutation that prevents endotoxic lipooligosaccharide (LOS) synthesis and potential use of the mutant for developing novel vaccines against the pathogen, for which there is currently no licensed vaccine. M. catarrhalis is one of the causative agents of otitis media (middle ear infection), sinusitis, and lung infections. The mutant is defective in the lpxA gene, whose enzyme product is relevant in lipid A biosynthesis (lipid A is part of the LOS).

The invention can be used to develop tests that are much more rapid than conventional tests for determining drug resistance. It relates to the discovery that a putative gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTb) with no previously identified function is responsible for the ability of the bacteria to activate a class of second line thioamide drugs used for MTb infections. The gene, termed "etaA", codes for the synthesis of a monooxygenase, the enzyme responsible for the oxidative activation of the drugs.

The current technology relates to the construction, characterization and immunogenicity of modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) recombinant viruses. The MVA double recombinant viruses express modified/truncated HIV-1 Env and mutated HIV Gag Pol under the control of vaccinia virus early/late promoters. This technology describes the MVA double recombinant viruses made by homologous recombination of single MVA recombinants, one expressing Env and one expressing Gag Pol. These single MVA recombinants are made using a transiently expressed GFP marker that is deleted in the final viruses.

A transmission blocking vaccine developed against malaria contains a recombinant virus, which encodes a unique portion of the sexual stage surface antigen of Plasmodium falciparum (referred to as Pfs25), or the Pfs25 protein purified from infected host cells. Mice inoculated with the recombinant virus developed antibodies capable of blocking transmission of the virus. None of the monoclonal antibodies known to block transmission recognize the reduced Pfs25 antigen. This vaccine, which induces high, long-lasting titers at low cost, can be useful for controlling malaria.

This invention describes methods and compositions of peptides that inhibit the binding of Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) to erythrocytes. Malarial parasites enter the red blood cell through several erythrocyte receptors, each being specific for a given species of Plasmodia. For P. falciparum, the erythrocyte binding antigen (EBA-175) is the ligand of the plasmodia merozoites that interacts with the receptor glycophorin A on the surface of red blood cells.

A stable line of human T cells (ACH-2) was developed in which cells infected chronically with the AIDS virus (HIV) remained nonproductive prior to exposure to phorbol esters or human cytokines. This situation mimics the latent state of HIV and the development of AIDS in humans and indicates that the full-blown disease may be triggered by cellular-derived substances (e.g., cytokines). This is the first description of such a cell line.

The identified technologies describe self-replicating infectious recombinant paramyxoviruses with one or more attenuating mutations, such as a separate variant polynucleotide encoding a P protein and a separate monocistronic polynucleotide encoding a V protein, or at least one temperature sensitive mutation and one non-temperature sensitive mutation. Compositions and methods for recovering, making and using the infectious, recombinant paramyxoviruses as described are also included (e.g. recombinant human parainfluenza virus type 2 (HPIV2)).

The invention relates to compositions of matter and methods for treating arthritis by modulating Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-alpha) signaling. TNF-alpha plays a key role in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases including rheumatoid and septic arthritis, and other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. TNF-alpha mediates its effects through receptors that contain a Pre-ligand Assembly Domain (PLAD). The inventors have discovered compounds that interfere with PLAD can block the effects of TNF-alpha in vitro.

Monoclonal antibodies directed at the proteins of murine leukemia viruses (MuLVs) have some value as immunological reagents, but differ greatly in their applicability. The kit described in this invention uses a monoclonal antibody designated 83A25, which identifies almost all ecotropic, xenotropic, polytropic, and amphotropic MuLVs. It can be used in a wide variety of procedures, including focal immunofluorescence assays on live or fixed monolayers, immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation, immunohistochemical, and flow cytometric procedures.