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Zika virus (ZIKV) spreads to people primarily through bite by infected Aedes mosquitoes. ZIKV infection during pregnancy can cause stillbirths or affect the fetus by causing serious birth defects, such as microcephaly and other brain defects. Although uncommon, adults with ZIKV can also develop Guillain-Barre syndrome and other neurological disorders. According to the World Health Organization’s July 2019 report, a total of 87 countries and territories have had evidence of mosquito-borne transmission of ZIKV.

Scientists at NIAID have developed a method of treatment for virus-induced lung fibrosis using nebulized thrombin inhibitors. Since March 2020, the WHO estimates that 564 million people have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 world-wide. Lung fibrosis is a major factor associated with SARS-CoV-2 infections and can contribute to mortality. Additionally, severe SARS-CoV-2 cases can result in long-term pulmonary disease due to lung fibrosis. At present, attempts to treat lung fibrosis developed during a SARS-CoV-2 infection using intravenous heparin have been unsuccessful.

The second leading cause of death in the United States is cancer and more than one million Americans are diagnosed with cancer each year, with this number likely to increase as the population ages.

The Tec family of tyrosine kinases, consisting of five family members Tec, Btk, Itk, Rlk, and BMX, are key regulators of signaling pathways of T lymphocytes. Many existing antiviral therapies rely on inhibition of viral replication, which leads to emergence or selection of resistant viruses. The current technology provides an alternative method for prevention or treatment of viral infection through administration of a Tec tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Such inhibitors can be siRNA, small chemical compounds, antisense or antibody.

Available for licensing and commercial development are methods of using two MAP kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitors, PD98059 and U0126, in the prevention and treatment of polyomavirus infection. Decrease in viral protein expression upon treatment with the MEK inhibitors has been demonstrated for two polyomavirus species, JC virus (JCV) and BK virus (BKV). It is believed that these MEK inhibitors may also be effective against other polyomavirus species in which TGF-beta expression is elevated.

Available for licensing and commercial development are methods of using Tranilast [N-(3',4'-dimethoxycinnamoyl)anthranilic acid] in the prevention and treatment of human polyomavirus infection. Treatment with Tranilast decreases viral protein expression for two human polyomavirus species, JC virus (JCV) and BK virus (BKV). Furthermore, the increase in JCV/BKV protein production observed upon the addition of TGF-beta could also be effectively abolished by Tranilast co-treatment.

The invention is a method and composition for inhibiting or treating symptoms of inflammatory demyelination or inflammation associated with autoimmune disorders. This is accomplished by administering recombinant E-selectin protein intranasally and resulting in E selectin-specific regulatory T-cells.

This technology is directed to the discovery of specific microRNAs that target and downregulate enzymes within the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway and is currently being tested in vivo.

This technology comprises specific hepatitis E virus (HEV) antigenic polypeptides. HEV causes epidemic and sporadic cases of hepatitis outbreaks with a mortality rate as high as 20% for pregnant women. In order to address this problem, CDC scientists carried out thorough HEV antigen screenings and subsequently developed recombinant proteins that efficiently model major HEV neutralization epitope(s). These recombinant proteins may be considered as candidates for the development of an HEV subunit vaccine, as well as for the development of highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tests.