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This technology relates to the use of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) to induce CD4+ T cell proliferation. This proliferation could be of particular relevance for patients in whom this cell population has been significantly reduced by HIV/AIDS or other conditions resulting in immunodeficiency. The proliferation of isolated CD4+ T cells can be induced through direct contact with TSLP or a nucleic acid encoding TSLP.

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)).

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.

The invention discloses a vaccine which comprises lipooligosaccharide (LOS) isolated from N. meningitidis and conjugated to a carrier protein. The invention also discloses a method of making the acellular vaccine. The method consists of two main steps. In the first step the lipooligosaccharide (LOS), chosen so it does not contain the lacto-N-neotetraose human antigen (LNnT), is detoxified by a novel procedure which uses hydrazine to remove the O-linked fatty acids. In the second step, the detoxified LOS (dLOS) is covalently conjugated to a carrier protein such as Tetanus Toxoid (TT).

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) chronically infects over 300 million people worldwide. Many of them will die of chronic hepatitis or hepatocellular carcinoma. The present technology relates to the isolation and characterization of a novel neutralizing chimpanzee monoclonal antibody to HBV. The antibody was identified through a combinatorial antibody library constructed from bone marrow cells of a chimpanzee experimentally infected with HBV. The selected monoclonal antibody has been shown to react equally well with wild-type HBV and the most common neutralization escape mutant variants.

Available for licensing and commercial development is a method of inhibiting SARS-CoV replication, propagation and transmission using 2-cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9-dien-28-oic (CDDO). Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an infectious atypical pneumonia that has recently been recognized in patients in 32 countries and regions. The atypical pneumonia with unknown etiology was initially observed in Guangdong Province, China.

The hybridoma producing a monoclonal antibody against the major flagellin protein (FlaB) is available for licensing. This antibody can be used in diagnostic and research applications related to Lyme disease or other Borrelia-caused conditions. More information about this antibody can be found in Barbour et al., Infection and Immunity, May 1986, volume 52(5), pages 549-554.

Available for licensing and commercial development are novel biotechnological tools, prophylactics, therapeutics, and methods for modulating the activation state of an antigen presenting cell (APC) and thereby modulating the activation of a killer T cell.

HLA molecules are indispensable and invaluable tools for efficient vaccine research and development. Infectious diseases are the second leading cause of death among adults and the most prominent cause of death in infants and children worldwide. Thus, rapid availability of prophylactic vaccines for cancers and infectious diseases such as HIV, HPV, influenza and diarrheal and respiratory diseases is a world-wide health concern.