144 results about "Viral antigen" patented technology

The present invention is directed to mammalian bi-specific T cells and methods for using these bi-specific T cells. More specifically, the invention relates to viral specific T cells that express chimeric anti-tumor receptors. These bi-specific T cell clones are a source of effector cells that persist in vivo in response to stimulation with viral antigen, leading to long-term function after their transfer to patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases.

The present invention relates to providing new vaccines and treatments for the diseases related to canine influenza virus. It discloses influenza viral antigens, and methods of presenting these antigens to canines, especially dogs. It relates to attenuated and killed vaccines. The present invention relates to experimentally generated canine and equine influenza viruses. The invention also includes influenza A, including H3, N8, H3N8, H7N7 and viruses which contain at least one genome segment from an canine or equine influenza virus. The present invention also relates to the use of these viruses in therapeutic compositions to protect canines, dogs in particular, from diseases caused by influenza viruses.

This invention relates to methods and systems for generating a safe and effective oral smallpox vaccine for humans using a genetically defective strain of vaccinia virus to confer immunity following oral delivery of the vaccine. This invention is one that expands on current use of vaccinia virus propagation developed for gene therapy applications, and pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals packaging and formualtion technologies. The vaccine invention can be delivered as a live virus with the ability to express viral proteins but unable to achieve complete, lytic virus replication, or it may be derived from such a virus, contain additional immunogens, or be delivered as viral antigens. Furthermore, the invention establishes innovative methods for formulation and packaging and for preclinical testing of the vaccine invention for safety, efficacy and potency with the use of human intestinal and other test cells and diagnostic test systems and kits.

The invention relates generally to the treatment and prevention of human cancer and viral diseases. More specifically, this invention relates to development of a new generation of vaccines that rely on eliciting cellular immune responses, specifically induction of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), against cancer cells and virus-infected cells via administration of a polymeric nanoparticle containing a vaccine comprising a fusion peptide or a modified peptide. Such a fusion peptide is composed of an insertion signal sequence and a peptide derived from a tumor antigen or a viral antigen, which improves antigen presentation and induces CTL with higher efficiency against cancer cells and virus-infected cells. An exemplary peptide utilized in the invention is Mart-1:27-35 peptide.

The present invention encompasses methods and compositions both for providing protection against disease in an animal and for inducing increased intake of an orally administered vaccine by an animal. The methods of the invention are directed to admixing a bacterial or viral antigen with a water soluble palatable flavorant, further admixing the antigen and flavorant mixture with a water soluble vehicle for oral administration of the vaccine to an animal in order to provide protection against disease associated with infection by the admixed antigen and to induce the increased intake of the vaccine with the flavorant. The present invention thus encompasses methods and compositions for the oral vaccination of healthy animals through drinking water or syrups as an aid in the prevention of disease. The admixing of the palatable flavorant provides for a vaccine formulation with a desirable taste in order to promote self-administration of the vaccine formulation and/or to prevent rejection of the formulation when administered by an animal handler.

The present invention relates to a composition comprising a viral antigen, a first protein and a second protein. Optionally, the composition also comprises three different disaccharaides, or, optionally, the composition comprises a primary sugar and at least one, preferably two secondary sugars. The present invention also relates to the use of a viral antigen, a first protein and a second protein for the manufacture of a composition, preferably a vaccine. The present invention furthermore relates to a method of treatment or prevention of virus associates diseases in humans. Moreover, the present invention relates to a method of adapting a virus to a suitable cell-line. The invention is also useful for the production of virus suspensions suitable for making stable, live/inactivated, monovalent and/or polyvalent, liquid/lyophilized rotavirus vaccine compositions for oral and/or nasal or any other suitable route of administration in human.

The present invention is directed to a method for delivering exogenous proteins to the cytosol, by binding a target antigen (such as a protein) to a transport factor that contains a fragment of a bipartite protein exotoxin, but not the corresponding protective antigen. Preferably, the target antigen is fused to the transport factor. Preferred transport factors include the protective antigen binding domain of lethal factor (LFn) from B. anthracis, consisting of amino acids 1-255, preferably a fragment of at least 80 amino acids that shows at least 80% homology to LFn, and a fragment of about 105 amino acids from the carboxy portion that does not bind PA. The target antigen can include any molecule for which it would be desirable to elicit a CMI response, including viral antigens and tumor antigens.

The invention provides methods and kits for immunizing animals (e.g. mammals) against viral antigens, including herpes-simplex virus type 2. The protective immune response elicited by the methods and kits of the invention is characterized by robust humoral, cellular, and mucosal immunity. In particular, the invention provides a heterologous immunization method comprising a priming DNA vaccine encoding an antigen and a boosting protein vaccine, in which the protein form of the antigen is encapsulated in liposomes. Methods of preventing primary acute, latent and recurrent viral infections, such as that caused by HSV-2 virus, and methods of providing passive protective immunity against a viral pathogen such as HSV-2 virus to a mammal are also disclosed.

Molecular adjuvants are disclosed comprising an antigen presenting cell-targeting ligand linked to an immunogen, e.g. tumor associated antigens, bacterial or viral antigens. The ligand and the immunogen are linked via a cleavable linker such as a protease-sensitive oligopeptide, to facilitate processing of the adjuvant by the antigen presenting cell. Methods are disclosed for delivery of these molecular adjuvants to patients, resulting in the transduction of activating signals to the targeted antigen presenting cell, thereby enhancing the immune response to the co-delivered immunogen.

The invention relates to a polymer lipid nanoparticle, a preparation method and application thereof as a vaccine adjuvant system. The polymer nanoparticle is a solid sphere composed of a macromoleclar polymer, positively charged cationic lipid is inlaid on the surface, the nanoparticle surface can adsorb protein antigen, polypeptide antigen, viral antigen and other active drugs; the polymer nanoparticle has an average particle size of less than 300nm, a dispersion coefficient, i.e. a PDI (polydispersity) value of less than 0.2, and a Zeta potential average value of greater than 20mV. The polymer nanoparticle provided by the invention has the characteristics of uniform size, high antigen carrying rate, and good maintenance of antigen activity, when the polymer nanoparticle carries an antigen and serves as a vaccine adjuvant, the intake of antigen presenting cells (APCs) to the antigen can be increased, the activation level of antigen presenting cells is improved, and the follow-up immune response level is strengthened.

Molecular adjuvants are disclosed comprising an antigen presenting cell-targeting ligand linked to an immunogen, e.g. tumor associated antigens, bacterial or viral antigens. The ligand and the immunogen are linked via a cleavable linker such as a protease-sensitive oligopeptide, to facilitate processing of the adjuvant by the antigen presenting cell. Methods are disclosed for delivery of these molecular adjuvants to patients, resulting in the transduction of activating signals to the targeted antigen presenting cell, thereby enhancing the immune response to the co-delivered immunogen.

Antibodies to two new epitopes on the HCV envelope proteins were identified which allow routine detection of native HCV envelope antigens, in tissue or cells derived from the host. The new epitopes are: the E1 region aa 307-326 and the N-terminal hyper variable region of E2 aa 395-415. Surprisingly, we characterised an antibody that reacts with various sequences of the hypervariable domain of E2. Specific monoclonal antibodies directed against these epitopes and allowing routine detection of viral antigen are described.

The present invention is in the fields of drug delivery, and specifically, cationic liposome-based vaccines. In embodiments, this invention provides methods of making ligand-targeted (e.g., antibody- or antibody fragment-targeted) liposomes useful for the delivery of molecules to induce immune responses against viral antigens or to treat or prevent viral diseases. The specificity of the delivery system is derived from the targeting ligands.

The present invention is directed to compositions and methods for the induction of immune responses in mammals against enveloped animal viruses. More particularly, the invention provides vaccine compositions containing multiple MHC allotypes. By generating an immune response against these MHC molecules, virus or virus-infected cells expressing foreign MHC molecules can be attacked prior to infection of cells in the immunized host. In some embodiments, the vaccine compositions contain viral antigens and adjuvants as well. The vaccine compositions may comprise intact cells, cell-derived membrane preparations or recombinantly or chemically produced MHC molecules or fragments thereof.