Mammalian receptors as targets for antibody and active vaccination therapy against mold infections
a technology of mammalian receptors and active vaccination therapy, which is applied in the field of compositions and methods for treating and preventing infectious diseases in patients, can solve the problems mucormycosis, and human fungal infection, and the effect of nephrotoxicity and other adverse effects, and the use of antifungal therapy alone is rarely curativ
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- US · United States
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Publication Date
- 2011-03-10
- Estimated Expiration
- Not applicable · inactive patent
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Abstract
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to the U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61 / 239,026, filed Sep. 1, 2009, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
[0002] This invention was made in part with U.S. Government support under NIH grant 011671 awarded by NIAID. The U.S. Government can have certain rights in the invention.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] This invention generally relates to compositions and methods for treating and preventing infectious diseases in a patient and, more particularly, relates to compositions and methods using antibodies, antibody fragments, small interfering RNAs or vaccines for treating and preventing opportunistic fungal diseases.
[0004] About 180 of the 250,000 known fungal species are recognized to cause disease (mycosis) in man and animal. Some of fungi can establish an infection in all exposed subjects, e.g., the systemic pathogens Histoplasma capsulatum and Coccidioides immitis. Others, such as Candida, Ase...
Examples
example i
Endothelial Cell Receptor GRP78 is Required for Mucormycosis Pathogenesis
[0122]Mucormycosis is a life-threatening infection caused by fungi of the order Mucorales, the most common etiologic species of which is Rhizopus oryzae. The most common predisposing risk factor for mucormycosis is diabetes mellitus, and it has been long established that patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) have a unique predisposition to this infection (Ibrahim et al., Clinical Mycology, Dismukes et al., eds. New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, pp. 241-251 (2003) Spellberg et al., Clin Microbiol Rev. 18(3):556-569 (2005)). Unfortunately, despite surgical debridement and first-line antifungal therapy, the overall mortality of mucormycosis remains unacceptably high, and survivors are typically left with considerable disfigurement from the infection and surgery (Spellberg (2005) supra; Gleissner et al., Leuk Lymphoma 45(7):1351-1360 (2004)).
[0123]A hallmark of mucormycosis is the presence of extensive a...