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This invention claims antibodies and/or fragments thereof specific for hepatitis A virus (HAV) and the use of the antibodies in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of hepatitis A. Hepatitis A is the most common type of hepatitis reported in the United States, which reports an estimated 134,000 cases annually, and infects at least 1.4 million people worldwide each year. HAV is a positive sense RNA virus that is transmitted via the fecal-oral route, mainly through contaminated water supplies and food sources.

This invention describes a method for vaccination against Ebola virus. Outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever caused by the Ebola virus, particularly the Zaire subtype, are associated with high mortality rates. The virus is very contagious, and during an outbreak, presents a threat to anybody who comes into contact with an infected person. Because the virus progresses so rapidly and the mortality rate is so high, there is little opportunity to develop natural immunity, making vaccination a promising intervention.

West Nile virus (WNV) has recently emerged in the U.S. and is considered a significant emerging disease that has embedded itself over a considerable region of the U.S. WNV infections have been recorded in humans as well as in different animals. From 1999-2014, WNV killed 1,765 people in the U.S. and caused severe disease in more than 41,762 others. This project is part of NIAID's comprehensive emerging infectious disease program.

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.

The effort targeting the mosquito borne neglected tropical disease lymphatic filariasis for elimination through mass drug administration by 2020 will require accurate, cost effective methods for detecting early infections. The World Health Organization-recommended immunochromatographic test detects adult Wuchereria bancrofti (Wb) antigen in blood, but shows variable efficacy due to the complex life cycle of the parasites and cross reactivity with other organisms. This variability may hinder effective lymphatic filariasis elimination efforts.

This technology includes novel systemic adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated CRISPR gene therapy technology. While some diseases (e.g., retinal diseases) can be treated through local gene transfer, many diseases such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) require systemic therapy. The CRISPR technology has two components, the Cas9 endonuclease, and the gRNA. To explore systemic CRISPR therapy, we co-delivered the AAV.Cas9 and AAV.gRNA vector to mdx mice, a mouse DMD model. Direct delivery to muscle yielded efficient gene correction.

The vast majority of people infected with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) will have chronic infection. Over decades, this can lead to liver disease and liver cancer. In fact, HCV infection is the leading cause of liver transplants in the U.S. Several new drugs have recently come into the market that will likely change the HCV treatment paradigm. However, the effectiveness of these new drugs can vary depending on the HCV genotype. Thus, there is still the need for additional new therapeutics against HCV.

This technology includes a Drosophila mutant strain that can be used as an in vivo model for diseases of the oral cavity and digestive tract (Sjogren's syndrome, colitis, colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease), where the mucous membrane is disrupted or non-functional. This mutant lacks a mucous membrane and displays epithelial cell damage, uncontrolled cell proliferation and the up-regulation of conserved signaling pathways (JAK/STAT).