89 results about "Stress Proteins" patented technology

The present invention relates to methods and compositions for eliciting an immune response and the prevention and treatment of primary and metastatic neoplastic diseases and infectious diseases. The methods of the invention comprise administering a composition comprising an effective amount of a complex, in which the complex consists essentially of a heat shock protein (hsp) noncovalently bound to an antigenic molecule. Optionally, the methods further comprise administering antigen presenting cells sensitized with complexes of hsps noncovalently bound to an antigenic molecule. "Antigenic molecule" as used herein refers to the peptides with which the hsps are endogenously associated in vivo as well as exogenous antigens/immunogens (i.e., with which the hsps are not complexed in vivo) or antigenic/immunogenic fragments and derivatives thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the complex is autologous to the individual. In a specific embodiment, the effective amounts of the complex are in the range of 0.1 to 9.0 micrograms for complexes comprising hsp70, 5 to 49 micrograms for hsp90, and 0.1 to 9.0 micrograms for gp96.

The present invention relates to stress proteins and methods of modulating an individual's immune response. In particular, it relates to the use of such stress proteins in immune therapy and prophylaxis, which results in an induction or enhancement of an individual's immune response and as an immunotherapeutic agent which results in a decrease of an individual's immune response to his or her own cells. The present invention also relates to compositions comprising a stress protein joined to another component, such as a fusion protein in which a stress protein is fused to an antigen. Further, the present invention relates to a method of generating antibodies to a substance using a conjugate comprised of a stress protein joined to the substance.

The present invention relates to receptors for heat shock proteins (HSPs), such as gp96, Hsp70 and Hsp90. The heat shock receptor is associated with the cell membranes of a subset of antigen presenting cells, such as macrophages and dendritic cells. The present invention relates to the use of the heat shock protein receptor positive cells, heat shock protein receptor protein, and heat shock protein receptor genes in methods for screening a molecule for the ability to modulate heat shock protein levels or activities.

The present invention relates to a vaccine for inducing an immune response to an antigen in a vertebrate (e.g., mammal) comprising an antigen and all or a portion of a stress protein or all or a portion of a protein having an amino acid sequence sufficiently homologous to the amino acid sequence of the stress protein to induce the immune response against the antigen. In a particular embodiment, the present invention relates to vaccines and compositions which induce a CTL response in a mammal comprising an antigen and all or a portion of a stress protein. In another embodiment, the invention relates to vaccines and compositions which induce an immune response to an influenza virus in a mammal comprising an antigen of the influenza virus and all or a portion of one or more stress proteins. The invention also relates to vaccines and compositions for inducing a CTL response to a tumor-associated antigen comprising a tumor-associated antigen and all or a portion of the stress protein. The invention also relates to vaccines and composition for suppressing allergic immune responses to allergens comprising an allergen and all or a portion of a stress protein.

This document describes compositions and methods for inducing an immune response (e.g., a cellular response such as a cell-mediated cytolytic immune response) to a human papillomavirus (HPV) antigen, which can be displayed by HPV or exhibited by infected cells (e.g., cells from cervical and other tumors). The HPV protein can be joined to a stress protein by chemical conjugation or noncovalently using linking moieties, or by fusion (e.g., a recombinant fusion protein). Also described are expression vectors containing sequences encoding HPV antigens and stress proteins, which can be introduced into cells of a subject or cells ex vivo. Also described are compositions that include a stress protein linked to an HPV antigen and another pharmacologically acceptable component and stress protein—HPV antigen fusions and conjugates. These compositions can be used to induce or enhance an immune response against HPV and cells that exhibit HPV antigens, including HPV-associated tumors.

Disclosed herein are compositions comprising a surfactant and a protein system, where the protein system comprises proteins and stress proteins obtained by the process of fermenting yeast to obtain a fermentation mixture; subjecting the fermentation mixture to stress conditions to obtain a post-fermentation mixture; and centrifuging the post-fermentation mixture and obtaining the supernatant; where the protein mixture retains its functionality under extreme conditions. Also disclosed herein are methods of using the above compositions as enhanced oil recovery agents, cleaning agents or as agents that improve the function of surfactants.

The present invention relates to methods for making compositions comprising heat shock proteins or alpha (2) macroglobulin ("alpha2M"), which compositions are immunogenic against a type of cancer or an agent of an infectious disease, and the compositions produced by the methods described herein. The invention further relates to methods for eliciting an immune response and the prevention and treatment of primary and metastatic neoplastic diseases and infectious diseases. Specifically, the present invention provides a method of eliciting an immune response comprise administering to an individual a composition made by mixing an amount of a purified first complex comprising a first heat shock protein or alpha2M complexed to a peptide which displays antigenicity of an antigen of said type of cancer or antigenicity of an antigen of an agent of said infectious disease; and an equal or greater amount of a second heat shock protein or alpha2M that is not complexed in vitro to a peptide which displays antigenicity of an antigen of said type of cancer or antigenicity of an antigen of an agent of said infectious disease, respectively; and is not in the form of a complex, said complex having been isolated as a complex from cancerous tissue of said type of cancer or cells infected with said agent of infectious disease, respectively. Optionally, the methods further comprise administering antigen presenting cells sensitized with hsp-peptide or alpha2M-peptide complexes comprising peptides antigenic to cancer cells or to an agent of an infectious disease.

Disclosed are methods of removing oil from an aqueous surface, comprising: surrounding an oil spot on the aqueous surface with an oil-absorbing material; and introducing a solution comprising a surfactant to the oil spot. Also disclosed are the above methods where the oil is not mechanically directed towards the oil-absorbing material, or where the oil-absorbing material is not mechanically directed towards the oil. Also disclosed are the above methods further comprising introducing a solution comprising a protein/surfactant complex to the oil spot, where the protein/surfactant complex comprises a protein component obtained from the fermentation of yeast, comprising a mixture of multiple intracellular proteins, at least a portion of the mixture including yeast polypeptides obtained from fermenting yeast and yeast stress proteins resulting from subjecting a mixture obtained from the yeast fermentation to stress.

Pharmaceutical compositions comprising a stress protein complex and related molecules encoding or cells presenting such a complex are provided. The stress protein complex comprises an hsp110 or grp170 polypeptide complexed with an immunogenic polypeptide. The immunogenic polypeptide of the stress protein complex can be associated with a cancer or an infectious disease. The pharmaceutical compositions of the invention can be administered to a subject, thereby providing methods for inhibiting M. tuberculosis-infection, for inhibiting tumor growth, for inhibiting the development of a cancer, and for the treatment or prevention of infectious disease. The invention further provides a method for producing T cells directed against a tumor cell or a M. tuberculosis-infected cell, wherein a T cell is contacted with an APC that is modified to present an hsp110 or grp170 polypeptide and an immunogenic polypeptide associated with a tumor or with the M. tuberculosis-infected cell. Included in the invention are T cells produced by this method and a pharmaceutical composition comprising such T cells. The T cells can be contacted with a M. tuberculosis-infected cell in a method for killing a M. tuberculosis-infected cell, or with a tumor cell in a method for killing a tumor cell.

This invention defines novel research and clinical laboratory methodology and compositions related thereto appropriate for use in (a) determining the presence of a neurodegenerative disease selected from the group limited solely to Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, familial Alzheimer's disease, familial Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, spinal muscular atrophy, Friedreich'a ataxia, giant axon neuropathy, juvenile ceroid-lipofuscinosis, familial motor neuron diseases, juvenile diabetic polyneuropathy and Down's syndrome, (b) monitoring the ongoing status of the physiological expression of said disease and (c) screening candidate therapeutic drug agents for possible effectiveness. The invention is based on the new and novel observation that the presence of a neurodegenerative disease can be characterized in part by the expression in cultured fibroblasts obtained from the patient of one or more proteins which are not the product of a defective disease-inducing gene, but which are stress proteins, one or more other proteins modified by conditions of oxidative stress or one or more other disease-related proteins. The invention depends on living cell material, namely fibroblasts, which are readily and, if necessary, repeatedly available from a patient. When adapted as a method and composition useful for the screening candidate therapeutic drug agents for possible effectiveness, this technology offers advantages in terms of (a) providing research opportunities which, in some cases, never existed before, (b) cost effectiveness when compared to alternative technologies, (c) ability to be used readily on a large scale, (d) ability to generate meaningful data in a comparatively short period of time, and (e) providing an early stage opportunity to obtain information based on direct interaction of a candidate drug and a living tissue disease model. Various aspects of diagnostic methods and compositions are also disclosed.

The present invention relates to a method for isolating and identifying specific immunogenic pathogen-specific peptides associated with stress proteins induced by the treatment of pathogens and pathogen-infected cells with stress inducing stimuli. The invention also relates to the use of the antigenic fragments derived from complexes thereof with heat shock or other stresses proteins as the immunogenic determinant in vaccine compositions.

Disclosed herein are methods of increasing, enhancing, or accelerating root nodulation in a plant, accelerating growth of nitrogen fixing bacteria in nodules of a plant, increasing protein content in a plant, increasing yield of a plant, improving water retention of a plant, or reducing water use of a plant, the method comprising identifying a plant in need of root nodulation, and applying to the plant a composition comprising a protein component comprising yeast stress proteins resulting from subjecting a mixture obtained from the yeast fermentation to stress.