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In order to develop a simple detection assay for field use, CDC researchers cloned and sequenced the Taenia solium T24 diagnostic protein. The T24 sequences can be used to detect and diagnose T. solium infection or can be formulated into a pharmaceutical composition. T. solium is a species of tapeworm. Intestinal infection with T. solium is referred to as taeniasis. Many taeniasis infections are asymptomatic but may be characterized by insomnia, anorexia, abdominal pain and weight loss. Cysticercosis infection, which can be fatal, may develop if T.

In nature, some beetle larvae possess specialized barbed hastate setae that serve as an entanglement defense mechanism and incapacitate other insects. CDC researchers have developed synthetic setae for control and entrapment of insects and other pests. While smaller synthetic setae can trap mosquitoes and small insects, larger “macro” setae can be used for entrapment of bats, rodents, etc. Once used, the setae can be "reset" by a vigorous shaking of the fabric.

CDC researchers have developed a potent immunogenic enhancer polypeptide useful for improving flavivirus vaccines. Flaviviruses such as dengue virus (1, 2, 3 and 4), Japanese encephalitis virus, Murray Valley encephalitis virus, St. Louis encephalitis virus, yellow fever virus and tick-borne encephalitis virus are a great burden on public health. This technology describes an identified CD4+ T cell epitope occurring within the E-glycoprotein of West Nile virus and methods of using this polypeptide to increase vaccine immunogenicity in monovalent vaccines.

Due to the disorganized nature of blood vessels that run through tumors, chemotherapeutic agents often fail to penetrate tumors and kill cancer cells at the tumor’s center. This can lead to ineffective chemotherapeutic treatments, because tumors can quickly grow back if the entire tumor is not destroyed. NIH researchers have developed a therapeutic agent that solves this problem facing current chemotherapy treatments.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has invented three chlamydial vaccine technologies, which have shown promising preclinical efficacy. Chlamydia trachomatis infection is the most common sexually transmitted bacterial infection. If left untreated, chlamydia infection can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. Chlamydia is also the leading cause of preventable blindness in the world. Despite increased surveillance, prevalence continues to increase, and the need to develop an effective chlamydial vaccine remains.

Technologies:

Anthrax, whether resulting from natural or bioterrorist-associated exposure, is a constant threat to human health. Bacillus anthracis is the causative agent of anthrax. It is surrounded by a polypeptide capsule of poly-gamma-D-glutamic acid (gamma-D-PGA), which is essential for virulence, is poorly immunogenic and has anti-phagocytic properties. Antibodies to the capsule have been shown to enhance phagocytosis and killing of encapsulated bacilli.

Although flaviviruses cause a great deal of human suffering and economic loss, there is a shortage of effective vaccines. This invention relates to dengue virus mutations that may contribute to the development of improved dengue vaccines. Site directed and random mutagenesis techniques were used to introduce mutations into the dengue virus genome and to assemble a collection of useful mutations for incorporation in recombinant live attenuated dengue virus vaccines.

Hearing loss is a common communication disorder affecting nearly 1 in 1,000 children in the United States alone, and nearly 50% of adults by the age of eighty. Hearing loss can be caused by environmental and disease-related factors; however, hearing loss due to genetic factors accounts for approximately 50% of cases.

The invention relates to a dengue virus tetravalent vaccine containing a common 30-nucleotide deletion (delta30) in the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of the genome of dengue virus serotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4. The previously identified delta30 attenuating mutation, created in dengue virus type 4 (DEN4) by the removal of 30 nucleotides from the 3'-UTR, is also capable of attenuating a wild-type strain of dengue virus type 1 (DEN1).

This technology describes peptide mimotopes of lipooligosaccharides (LOS) from nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) and Moraxella catarrhalis that are suitable for developing novel vaccines against the respective pathogens, for which there are currently no licensed vaccines. The mimotopes not only immunologically mimic LOSs from NTHi and M. catarrhalis but will also bind to antibodies specific for the respective LOS. NTHi and M. catarrhalis are common pathogens that cause otitis media in children and lower respiratory tract infections in adults.