CMV Epitope-Based Therapeutics for Resistant Infections
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for CMV infection, particularly in immunocompromised individuals, face challenges such as limited availability of CMV-IGIV, risk of infectious disease transmission, and the emergence of drug-resistant CMV strains, along with the lack of effective vaccines.
Innovation Solution
Development of compositions and methods utilizing CMV epitopes recognized by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), including therapeutic compositions with polypeptides, nucleic acids, CTLs, antigen-presenting cells (APCs), and antigen-binding molecules that specifically bind to CMV epitopes, to prevent and treat CMV infection and associated cancers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If CMV-IGIV is used to treat CMV infection, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but availability is limited and risk of infectious disease transmission increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the protective immune components (CTLs and antigen-binding molecules) from the complex CMV-IGIV plasma product, isolating the specific therapeutic elements that provide anti-CMV activity while eliminating the contamination risks associated with pooled human plasma
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates artificial copies of the immune response by engineering CTLs and antigen-binding molecules that replicate the protective functions of natural CMV-specific immunity, providing treatment without requiring actual human plasma products
2Reliability
If antiviral drugs are used to treat CMV infection, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but drug-resistant strains emerge
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces antigen-presenting cells and epitope peptides as intermediaries to activate the patient's own immune system, creating an indirect therapeutic mechanism that bypasses direct viral inhibition and avoids selecting for drug-resistant mutations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent activates the patient's endogenous immune system (CTLs and antibody-producing B cells) to fight the infection, allowing the body's own defenses to eliminate the virus rather than relying on external drugs that can be resisted
3Reliability
If full-length CMV proteins are used in vaccine compositions, then antigenicity is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides full-length CMV proteins into smaller functional segments (specific epitopes of 10-20 amino acids) that retain immunogenicity while simplifying production, purification, and formulation processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the critical epitopic regions from full-length CMV proteins that are responsible for CTL and antibody recognition, eliminating the need to produce and purify entire viral proteins
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The proposed solutions effectively stimulate CTL responses against CMV, potentially offering improved treatment options that are less prone to resistance and transmission risks, while also addressing the limitations of current vaccines.
Implementation Method 1
APCs that present one or more of the CMV epitopes described herein (e.g., APCs that present a peptide comprising a CMV epitope described herein on a class I MHC complex)
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein are compositions and methods related to the treatment of a CMV infection and/or cancer in a subject.