267 results about "Vaccinia" patented technology

The invention concerns the use of a virus for the preparation of a medicament for the vaccination, treatment, or protection, of a neonatal or prenatal animal, including a human, wherein the virus is capable of infecting the cells of the neonatal or prenatal animal, including a human, but not capable of being replicated to infectious progeny virus in the neonatal or prenatal animal, including a human. The virus is preferably a Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara.In particular, the invention concerns the vaccination of neonates against infections with viruses belonging the same virus group as the virus used for vaccination. Moreover, the invention concerns the vaccination of neonates against antigens selected from foreign antigens and tumor antigens, wherein the tumor antigen and / or the foreign antigen are different from the antigens associated with the virus. The invention further concerns the use of viruses as defined above to (i) increase the level of factors which activate dendritic cells or their precursor cells, (ii) and / or to increase the number of dendritic cells or their precursor cells, (iii) and / or to increase the production and / or cellular content of an interferon (IFN) or IL-12.

A composition of matter comprising a vaccinia virus expression vector with a negative thymidine kinase phenotype and a negative vaccinia virus growth factor phenotype.

The invention relates inter alia to a method for inducing a long-term protection in an animal against foreign antigens and tumor antigens comprising the step of administering to the animal at least one factor selected from type I interferons and Flt-3, and to a method for inducing a long-term increase of the number of dendritic cells in an animal comprising the step of administering to the animal a factor selected from type I interferon and Flt-3 and to a method of inducing or enhancing the maturation and / or for the activation of the immune system of an animal comprising the step of administering to the animal a factor selected from type I interferon and Flt-3.

Recombinant poxviruses, such as vaccinia, are provided that comprises a segment comprised of (A) a first DNA sequence encoding a polypeptide that is foreign to poxvirus and (B) a poxvirus transcriptional regulatory sequence, wherein (i) said transcriptional regulatory sequence is adjacent to and exerts transcriptional control over said first DNA sequence and (ii) said segment is positioned within a nonessential genomic region of said recombinant poxvirus. Vaccines, carriers, cells, and media comprising recombinant poxviruses, and methods of immunization with recombinant poxviruses, also are provided.

The present invention relates to a method for the recovery of poxviruses, in particular modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA), from infected cells. According to the present invention the virus-infected cells are subjected to a high-pressure homogenization to obtain a virus containing homogenate. The virus containing homogenate can be subjected to at least one purification step to obtain apoxvirus-enriched fraction. The invention further relates to the virus containing fraction and the virus containing homogenate obtained by the method according to the present invention.

The invention relates to novel insertion sites useful for the integration of HIV DNA sequences into the MVA genome, and to the resulting recombinant MVA derivatives.

The invention concerns the use of a virus to increase the number of dendritic cells or their precursor cells in an immunocompromised animal, including a human. The virus is preferably a Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara which is capable of infecting the cells of a neonatal or prenatal animal, including a human, but not capable of being replicated to infectious progeny virus in the neonatal or prenatal animal, including a human.

The present invention concerns methods and compositions for the treatment of cancer and cancer cells using altered poxviruses, including a vaccinia virus that has been altered to generate a more effective therapeutic agent. Such poxviruses are engineered to be attenuated or weakened in their ability to affect normal cells. In some embodiments, methods and compositions involve poxviruses that possess mutations that result in poxviruses with diminished or eliminated capability to implement an antiviral response in a host. Poxviruses with these mutations in combination with other mutations can be employed for more effective treatment of cancer.

The present invention concerns methods and compositions for the treatment of cancer and cancer cells using intravascular administration of a vaccinia virus. In some embodiments, methods and compositions involve a replicative vaccinia virus that encodes GM-CSF.

Embodiments of the invention are directed methods that include a thymidine kinase deficient vaccinia virus. The methods include administering the vaccinia virus at increased viral concentrations. Further aspects of the invention include methods for inducing oncolysis or collapse of tumor vasculature in a subject having a tumor comprising administering to a subject at least 1×108 infectious viral particles of a TK-deficient, GM-CSF-expressing, replication-competent vaccinia virus vector sufficient to induce oncolysis of cells in the tumor.