MALARIA ANTIGEN, PROCEDURE FOR ITS PREPARATION AND VACCINE OBTAINED WITH IT

Claims

1. I - 28 - — Individual vaccines. _ ___________________ _________ —-,— -— ---------Example 8---------------- -i----Taccisi-----—-- __I_Vaccines for use in immunization -can be prepared by conventional techniques. J is-characterized-by the Xacts^dj_________ |! J_________i) have..an apparent molecular weight in the range from J 2.0 to 2.6 x 10 ;_ and_____________ -li) be associated with a localized region of the Jmerozoite forms of the parasite; ______ i____ and related functional derivatives. __ I -2,-JLnttflfene as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the single molecule of the antigen is about 2--35 x 10^*--r— _3.._Antigen as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the parasite JLun-parasite__of human Plasmodium..------<_ ___4. Antigen as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the parasite . | . and Plasmodium falci na-rum.______l ____5. Antigen, as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, is prepared by the steps of: (i) solubilizing erythrocytes containing the merozoite form of a Plasmodium parasite; (ii) contacting the solubilized material with a monoclonal antibody specific for the desired anti-gene to provide an anti-plasma-antigen complex; and (iii) recovering the antigen from the antibody-antigen complex. _________________________________ — _____6. Antigen as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5 ' ' In the preceding claims 1 to 4, the product is characterised by the fact that it is prepared by a chemical or biological reproduction process._ _________________________________ _ .____7. Process for the production of an entity-._gene as defined in each of the preceding claims - from Claim 4, which process - comprises: ______________________ ; ! _ '___ a) isolation of the antigen from the form of ______ : the | ; : the erythrocytic merozoite of the parasite; or......! ! I -_-___ b) reproduction of the antigen by chemical or biological means, _____________L_ » a_____fi. Vaccine according to this invention comprises an antigen as defined in each of the preceding claims from Claim 6, together with a pharmaceutically acceptable compound for the same. 9 * Vaccine according to this invention as claimed in claim 8, which is suitable for the purpose of inducing immunity in humans against Plasmodium falciparum. _____________ ! J......

10. antigen as defined in each of the preceding claims from d to 6, ....... -suitable for use in inducing immunity in a vertebrate host animal.-susceptible,________ J_____ ._ILI. A process for inducing immunity to malaria in a susceptible vertebrate animal, the process comprising the step of administering to the host animal a malaria-inducing agent as defined in one of claims 1 to 6.

12. Antigen as claimed in claim 10, in the form of a vaccine.

13. Process as claimed in claim 11, in which the antigen is in the form of a vaccine. Rome; 1 ♦ «82_________ r THE «fiLLCOIiiL FOUNDATION. XJHHED. pi ING. BARZANO» & ZANARDO ROMA SpA tu^ / vvL· / J3S / _ 8135 BAR / AHÒ & ZÀNARpO ROMA I.pi