Conserved Hemagglutinin Epitope, Antibodies to the Epitope and Methods of Use

Abstract

Disclosed are antibodies that bind to the stem region of influenza hemagglutinin in the neutral pH conformation, hemagglutinin epitopes in the stem region, and methods of making and using both.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of provisional applications U.S. Ser. No. 61 / 091,599, filed Aug. 25, 2008, U.S. Ser. No. 61 / 150,231, filed Feb. 5, 2009, and U.S. Ser. No. 61 / 154,400, filed Feb. 22, 2009 the contents which are each herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH[0002]This invention was made with government support under NIH grants P41 RR-01081, U01-AI074518-01, and P01-AI055789. The government has certain rights in the invention.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0003]The disclosed invention is generally in the field of influenza and specifically in the area of antibodies and immunogens for the treatments for influenza.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0004]Seasonal influenza A is a scourge of the young and old, killing more than 250,000 worldwide each year, while creating an economic burden for millions (W.H.O. web site who.int / mediacentre / factsheets / 2003 / fs211 / en / . World Health Organization factsheet 2...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention relates to an immunogen that can induce antibodies against influenza A virus. The immunogen is a peptide or a synthetic peptide that includes an epitope or epitope units recognized by a protective monoclonal antibody. The immunogen can be administered to induce antibodies that prevent infection by the virus. The invention also provides a conjugate that includes one or more peptides or peptide fragments that mimic the tertiary structure of the epitope. The immunogen is effective in inducing antibodies against the influenza virus and can be used as a vaccine to prevent infection.

Problems solved by technology

Pandemic influenza, which occurs when a new virus emerges and infects people globally that have little or no immunity, represents a grave threat to human health: for example, the 1918 “Spanish Flu” pandemic caused an estimated 50 million deaths (Webster, 1918 Spanish influenza: the secrets remain elusive.

Vaccine 25, 6852-62 (2007)), and it is not always fully successful.

Neuraminidase inhibitors, especially oseltamavir (Tamiflu), remain the primary antiviral treatment, but they have limited efficacy if administered late in infection, and widespread use is likely to result in the emergence of resistant viral strains (de Jong et al., Oseltamivir resistance during treatment of influenza A (H5N1) infection.

Images