University of California

Immusol, Incorporated

Other

Nexbio, Inc.

Ansun Biopharma, Inc.

Mang Yu

Flossie Wong-Staal

Jack R Barber

Richard Tritz

Osamu Yamada

Markley C Leavitt

Joshua O Ojwang

Anthony Ho

Peter J Welch

Soonpin Yei

Mark Leavitt

Michael P Malakhov

Fang Fang

Yu Feng

Gunter Kraus

Michael Mamounas

Elizabeth Duarte

Michael Malakhov

The present invention provides new compositions and methods for preventing and treating pathogen infection. In particular, the present invention provides compounds having an anchoring domain that anchors the compound to the surface of a target cell, and a therapeutic domain that can act extracellularly to prevent infection of the target cell by a pathogen, such as a virus. Preferred target cells are epithelial cells. The invention provides compositions and methods for preventing viral diseases, such as influenza, using compounds having anchoring domains that can bind target cells linked to enzymatic activities that can act extracellularly to interfere with viral infection of target cells. The invention also provides compositions and methods for preventing viral diseases such as influenza using compounds having anchoring domains that can bind target cells linked to protease inhibitors that can act extracellularly to interfere with viral infection of target cells.

Broad spectrum anti-viral therapeutics and prophylaxis

This invention provides ribozymes useful to treat or prevent Hepatitis C Virus (&ldquo;HCV&rdquo;) infection or disease in an organism or subject, as well as methods of treating an HCV infection or disease. Reagents such as vectors, host cells, DNA molecules coding for these ribozymes usefull in methods of treatment and prevention of HCV infection or disease are also provided.

Hepatitis C Virus ribozymes

This invention provides an infectious retrovirus having inserted between the 5' and 3' long terminal repeat sequences of the retrovirus a nucleic acid encoding an anti-HIV-type specific agent or a foreign nucleic acid under the control of a pol III promoter. Host cells containing the retroviral vectors of this invention also are provided. Further provided are methods of interfering with or preventing HIV viral replication in a cell infected with HIV or likely to be infected with HIV.

Retroviral vectors comprising an anti-hiv or other nucleic acid

This invention provides ribozymes useful to treat or prevent Hepatitis C Virus ('HCV') infection or disease in an organism or subject, as well as methods of treating an HCV infection or disease. Reagents such as vectors, host cells, DNA molecules coding for these ribozymes useful in methods of treatment and prevention of HCV infection or disease are also provided.

Hepatitis C virus ribozymes

Methods and compositions for the treatment and diagnosis of infections of Rev-binding primate lentiviruses are provided. These methods and compositions utilize the ability of Rev binding nucleic acids such as the SLII sequence from the HIV-1 Rev response element (RRE) to target therapeutic agents to the same sub-cellular location as primate lentiviruses which contain RRE sequences. In particular, the invention provides trans-acting ribozymes comprising Rev-binding nucleic acids less toxic than a full-length RRE, and molecules encoding them. The use of the compositions of the invention as components of diagnostic assays, as prophylactic reagents, and in vectors is also described.

Chimeric antiviral agents comprising Rev binding nucleic acids and

Methods of inhibiting HIV infection by blocking HIV co-receptor RNA expression are provided. Ribozymes which cleave HIV co-receptor RNA and inhibit HIV infection of cells are also provided. Co-receptor targets include fusin and CKR5.

Methods and compositions for inhibiting HIV infection of cells by

This invention provides an infectious retrovirus having inserted between the 5' and 3' long terminal repeat sequences of the retrovirus a nucleic acid encoding an anti-HIV-type specific agent under the control of a pol III promoter. Host cells containing the retroviral vectors of this invention also are provided. Further provided are methods of interfering with or preventing HIV viral replication in a cell infected with HIV or likely to be infected with HIV.

HIV-specific ribozymes

GUC and GUA ribozymes which cleave HIV RNA are provided. The ribozymes cleave HIV RNA in vitro and in vivo. When the ribozymes are expressed in cells, they inhibit HIV replication in the cells.

Anti-HIV ribozymes

Methods, kits and compositions for increasing the titer of rAAV vectors are provided.

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Mang Yu