Stable Cell Line Technology for Enhanced Production of Varicella-Zoster Virus Vaccines

This technology includes a stable cell line engineered to have reduced expression of the pro-apoptotic protein Bim when exposed to doxycycline. This reduction in Bim expression allows for significantly higher yields of the Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV), which is used in the production of live, attenuated VZV vaccines. The enhanced viral production makes this cell line particularly useful for vaccine manufacturing.

Monoclonal Antibodies to HIV-1 Vpr

Available for licensing are monoclonal antibodies against HIV-1 viral protein R (Vpr) and the respective hybridoma cell lines expressing the same. The antibodies provide a means for detecting HIV-1 Vpr. Currently, the mechanism of HIV pathogenesis believed to involve viral replication inside immune cells and other cells. At present, there are no clinical assays for detecting HIV-1 Vpr. Vpr circulates at detectable levels in the blood and is likely derived from degraded virions or released from infected cells. Vpr facilitates viral replication and disrupt normal cell function.

Human Monoclonal and Bispecific Antibodies Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus

SARS-CoV-2 is a virus of the Coronavirus family that has emerged as a major public health concern. The first cases of SARS-CoV-2 were reported in China and rapidly spread worldwide leading to a global pandemic. The highest morbidity and mortality have been reported in the elderly and immunocompromised. Antibody therapeutics have great importance for advanced cases of SARS-CoV-2 where a vaccine would not be effective and may be more effective than a vaccine in certain high-risk populations.

Pre-Biotic Formulation of Topical Chemicals for Use on Human Skin

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common, recurrent, chronic inflammatory skin disease that is a cause of considerable economic and social burden. It is one of the most prevalent skin disorders, affecting ~25% of children in developed and developing countries and is expected to continue to escalate. This increased rate of incidence has changed the focus of research on AD toward epidemiology, prevention, and treatment.

Methods for Producing Stem Cell-Like Memory T Cells for Use in T Cell-Based Immunotherapies

T cells currently employed for T cell-based immunotherapies are often senescent, terminally differentiated cells with poor proliferative and survival capacity. Recently, however, scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) identified and characterized a new human memory T cell population with stem cell-like properties. Since these T cells have limited quantities in vivo, the scientists have developed methods by which high numbers of these cells can be generated ex vivo for use in T cell-based immunotherapies.

Zirconium-89 PET Imaging Agent for Cancer

Researchers at the NCI Radiation Oncology Branch  and NIH CIT Center for Molecular Modeling developed a tetrahydroxamate chelation technology that provides a more-stable Zr-89 complex as an immuno-PET cancer imaging agent. In either the linear or the macrocyclic form, the tetrahydroxamate complexes exhibit greater stability as chelating agents compared to Zr-89 complexed to the siderophore desferrioxamine B (DFB), a trihydroxamate, which represent

Monoclonal Antibodies That Bind to the Underside of Influenza Viral Neuraminidase

Current influenza vaccines mainly induce antibodies against the surface glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA) that block viral attachment to its host receptors and viral membrane fusion to the host cell. The immunodominant head region of HA undergoes antigenic drift and antibodies directed to the head confer little cross-protections between strains or subtypes.

Self-Assembled Ferritin Nanoparticles Expressing Hemagglutinin as an Influenza Vaccine

NIH inventors at the Vaccine Research Center have developed a novel influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA)-ferritin nanoparticle influenza vaccine that is easily manufactured, potent, and elicits broadly neutralizing influenza antibodies against multiple strains of influenza. This novel influenza nanoparticle vaccine elicited two types of broadly neutralizing, cross-protective antibodies, one directed to the highly conserved HA stem and a second proximal to the conserved receptor binding site (RBS) of the viral HA, providing a new platform for universal and seasonal influenza.

Stabilized Influenza Hemagglutinin Stem Region Trimers and Uses Thereof

An effective universal influenza vaccine would eliminate the uncertain and costly process of seasonal influenza vaccine development each year. Researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) are developing immunogens which elicit neutralizing antibodies to the highly conserved stem region of the influenza viral protein hemagglutinin.
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