350 results about "Defective virus" patented technology

The present invention relates to peptides which exhibit antifusogenic and antiviral activities. The peptides of the invention consist of a 16 to 39 amino acid region of a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) protein. These regions were identified through computer algorithms capable of recognizing the ALLMOTI5, 107x178x4, or PLZIP amino acid motifs. These motifs are associated with the antifusogenic and antiviral activities of the claimed peptides.

A method for producing in vivo packaged recombinant adenovirus vectors is provided. The recombinant Ad vectors do not contain any Adenovirus genes and are therefore useful for gene therapy. The recombinant Adenovirus vectors are packaged in vivo using a helper virus which is itself very inefficiently packaged, providing a recombinant viral preparation with very little or no contamination with helper virus. In particular, the method makes use of a helper virus in which the packaging site can be easily excised in vivo by recombination mediated by a recombinase. The helper virus is also useful for the in vivo construction of new recombinant adenovirus vectors containing substitutions in the E1 or other adenoviral region.

Disclosed are compounds of the formula I

or a stereoisomer, tautomer, or pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof, wherein W, R¹, R², R³, R⁴, R⁵, R⁶, and R⁷ are as defined in the specification; and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds of formula I.

Also disclosed is the method of inhibiting aspartyl protease, and in particular, the methods of treating cardiovascular diseases, cognitive and neurodegenerative diseases, and the methods of inhibiting of Human Immunodeficiency Virus, plasmepins, cathepsin D and protozoal enzymes. Also disclosed are methods of treating cognitive or neurodegenerative diseases using the compounds of formula I in combination with a cholinesterase inhibitor or a muscarinic antagonist.

Attenuated recombinant viruses containing DNA encoding an immunodeficiency virus and/or CTL antigen, as well as methods and compositions employing the viruses, expression products therefrom, and antibodies generated from the viruses or expression products, are disclosed and claimed. The recombinant viruses can be NYVAC or ALVAC recombinant viruses. The DNA can code for at least one of: HIV1gag(+pro)(IIIB), gp120(MN)(+transmembrane), nef(BRU)CTL, pol(IIIB)CTL, ELDKWA or LDKW epitopes, preferably HIV1gag(+pro)(IIIB), gp120(MN) (+transmembrane), two (2) nef(BRU)CTL and three (3) pol(IIIB)CTL etpitopes; or two ELDKWA in gp120 V3 or another region or in gp160. The two (2) nef(BRU)CTL and three (3) pol(IIIB)CTL epitopes are preferably CTL1, CTL2, pol1, pol2 and pol3. The recombinant viruses and gene products therefrom and antibodies generated by the viruses and gene products have several preventive, therapeutic and diagnostic uses. DNA from the recombinant viruses are useful as probes or, for generating PCR primers or for immunization. Also disclosed and claimed are HIV immunogens and modified gp160 and gp120.

The invention provides biologically active compounds that may be reacted with macromolecules, such as albumin, to form covalent linked complexes wherein the resulting complexes exhibit a desired biological activity in vivo. More specifically, the complexes are isolated complexes comprising a biologically active moiety covalently bound to a linking group and a protein. The complexes are prepared by conjugating a biologically active moiety, for example, a renin inhibitor or a viral fusion inhibitor peptide, with purified and isolated protein. The complexes have extended lifetimes in the bloodstream as compared to the unconjugated molecule, and exhibit biological activity for extended periods of time as compared to the unconjugated molecule. The invention also provides anti-viral compounds that are inhibitors of viral infection and/or exhibit anti-fusiogenic properties. In particular, this invention provides compounds having inhibiting activity against viruses such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human parainfluenza virus (HPV), measles virus (MeV), and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) and that have extended duration of action for the treatment of viral infections.

Compounds of formula I:

wherein a, R¹, R², R³, R⁴, R⁵ and R⁶ are defined herein, are useful as inhibitors of HIV replication.

The invention relates to biology applied technology field, especially relates to a immune chromatography assay for quickly detecting the human immunologic deficiency disease (HIV) antibody and antigen. The assay comprises two independent test papers A and B and plastic case C for storing the test paper, wherein the test paper A is used for detecting the HIV antibody and the test paper B is used for detecting the HIV p24 antigen. The test paper A and test paper B are parallely encased in the plastic case to constitute the assay. On detecting, the detected sample is added on the sample pad of the test paler and the immunoreaction result is directly observed to perform detection. The assay is used for screening or clinical diagnosis of the HIV infection and at the same time the HIV antigen and antibody are detected, the simpler antibody detection can effectively reduce the window phase for detecting the HIV, with features of quick reaction, easy operation, economy and practicality, suitable for insitu detecting.

A novel method of treating and preventing viral infection is provided. In particular a method of blocking viral infection facilitated by a serine proteolytic (SP) activity is disclosed, which consists of administering to a subject suffering or about to suffer from viral infection a therapeutically effective amount of a compound having a serine protease inhibitory or serpin activity. Among compounds are α₁-antitrypsin (AAT), peptide derivatives from the carboxyterminal end of AAT, and man-made, synthetic compounds mimicking the action of such compounds. The preferred viral infections include retroviral infection such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

The present invention relates to therapeutic compositions and methods for treating and preventing infection by an immunodeficiency virus, particularly HIV infection, using chemokine proteins, nucleic acids and/or derivatives or analogues thereof.

The present invention relates to gene therapy systems designed for the delivery of a therapeutic product to a subject using replication-defective virus composition(s) engineered with a built-in safety mechanism for ablating the therapeutic gene product, either permanently or temporarily, in response to a pharmacological agent—preferably an oral formulation, e.g., a pill. The invention is based, in part, on the applicants' development of an integrated approach, referred to herein as “PITA” (Pharmacologically Induced Transgene Ablation), for ablating a transgene or negatively regulating transgene expression. In this approach, replication-deficient viruses are used to deliver a transgene encoding a therapeutic product (an RNA or a protein) so that it is expressed in the subject, but can be reversibly or irreversibly turned off by administering the pharmacological agent; e.g., by administration of a small molecule that induces expression of an ablator specific for the transgene or its RNA transcript.

Disclosed herein are compositions and methods for imaging nerve cells. The composition comprises a fluorescent dye; and a viral component selected from a neurotropic, replication-defective virus, a viral protein of a neurotropic virus, and a capsid of a neurotropic virus. Although the fluorescent dye in itself cannot penetrate nerve cells, the fluorescent dye is bound to the viral component to form a dye/viral component complex that is capable of penetrating nerve cells.

The present invention relates to methods and pharmaceutical compositions for treating obesity or obesity-related disorders in a subject suffering from or predisposed to developing obesity or an obesity-related disorder, or for inhibiting the infectivity of HIV, by administering oleuropein, an analogue or derivative thereof, or the major metabolites of oleuropein including oleuropein aglycone, hydroxytyrosol, and elenolic acid or their analogues, or derivatives thereof, an iridoid glycoside, or a secoiridoid glycoside or analogues or derivatives thereof, or any combination of the foregoing including olive leave extract. The invention also relates to methods for screening/diagnosing a subject having, or predisposed to having obesity or a related disorder by measuring the expression profiles of an adipogenic gene selected from PPARγ2, LPL and αP2 gene and gene product, or other adipogenic, lipogenic, or lipolytic genes and gene products in an individual. The invention further provides for screening for novel oleuropein analogues.

A TAR marker, method for detection and monitoring of HIV latency and activation and an assay for detection of the marker. The assay sensitively detects HIV transcription and monitors HIV transcriptional activity by detecting the presence of TAR fragments and full length transcripts, quantifying both and determining the ratio of short to long transcripts. A low ratio correlates with a latent-type transcriptional activity of HIV whereas the appearance of long transcripts signifies increased efficiency of transcriptional activity of HIV and the transition from latency to activation. The size difference between the TAR fragments appearing predominantly in latency and the full length transcripts appearing predominantly during the HIV activation is detected by RT-PCR assay that utilizes novel primers and probes. The obtained ratio is a sensitive tool in detection of HIV infection, the analysis of load of latent and active virus and monitoring the transition from the latent to active state of HIV replication.

The present invention relates to pharmaceutical preparations and methods for treating individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The pharmaceutical preparations comprise an immunomodulating agent and a anti-retroviral compound. The pharmaceutical preparations are used to treat HIV infected patients, particularly for gastrointestinal complications arising from viral infection. In addition, the pharmaceutical preparations of the present invention have the effect of raising the levels of CD4⁺ single positive and CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ double positive T cells, thus promoting restoration and normalization of the immune system following HIV infection.

The present invention provides cell lines for the production of E1-deleted adenovirus (rAd) vectors that complement E1A and E1B functions. The present invention also provides cell lines for the production of E1- and E2-deleted adenovirus vectors that complement E1A, E1B and E2B polymerase functions. The invention provides particular cell lines that complement E1A function by insertion of an E1A sequence containing mutations in the 243R and 289R proteins and an E1B sequence comprising the E1B-55K gene. Production yields in the resulting producer cell lines, designated SL0003 and SL0006, were similar to those obtained from 293 cells without generation of detectable recombinant replication competent adenovirus (“RCA”).

Compositions are provided that comprise antibody against coreceptors for human immunodeficiency virus such as CCR5 and CXCR4. In particular, monoclonal human antibodies against human CCR5 are provided that bind to CCR5 with high affinity and are capable of inhibiting HIV infection at low concentrations. The antibodies can be used as prophylactics or therapeutics to prevent and treat HIV infection, for screening drugs, and for diagnosing diseases or conditions associated with interactions with HIV coreceptors.

A novel HIV type O immunodeficiency virus is disclosed which has the designation MVP-2901/94 and which has been deposited with the European collection of animal Cell Cultures (ECACC) under No. V 950121601. The characteristic antigens which can be obtained from the virus and which can be employed for detecting antibodies against retroviruses which are associated with immunodeficiency diseases are also disclosed, as are the partial DNA and amino acid sequences of the virus.

The invention relates to an anti-immunodeficiency virus antibody which binds to a cellular protein and diagnostic and therapuetic methods of using the same.