Abstract:
Chimeric human-bovine parainfluenza viruses (PIVs) are infectious and attenuated in humans and other mammals and useful individually or in combination in vaccine formulations for eliciting an immune response to PIV or other pathogens. Also provided are isolated polynucleotide molecules and vectors incorporating a chimeric PIV genome or antigenome which includes a partial or complete human or bovine PIV “background” genome or antigenome combined or integrated with one or more heterologous gene(s) or genome segment(s) of a different PIV. Chimeric human-bovine PIV of the invention include a partial or complete “background” PIV genome or antigenome derived from or patterned after a human or bovine PIV virus combined with one or more heterologous gene(s) or genome segment(s) of a different pathogen, including different PIV virus to form the human-bovine chimeric PIV genome or antigenome.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a dengue virus tetravalent vaccine containing a common 30 nucleotide deletion (Δ30) in the 3′-untranslated region of the genome of dengue virus serotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4, or antigenic chimeric dengue viruses of serotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Abstract:
Attenuated, recombinant negative stranded RNA viruses suitable for vaccine use are produced from one or more isolated polynucleotide molecules encoding the virus. A recombinant genome or antigenome of the subject virus is modified to encode a mutation within a recombinant protein of the virus at one or more amino acid positions(s) corresponding to a site of an attenuating mutation in a heretologous, mutant negative stranded RNA virus. A similar attenuating mutation as identified in the heterologous negative stranded RNA virus is thus incorporated at a corresponding site within the recombinant virus to confer an attenuated phenotype on the recombinant virus. The attenuating mutation incorporated in the recombinant virus may be identical or conservative in relation to the attenuating mutation identified in the heterologous, mutant virus. By the transfer of mutations into recombinant negative stranded RNA viruses in this matter, candidate vaccine viruses are engineered to elicit a desired immune response against a subject virus in a host susceptible to infection thereby.
Abstract:
Recombinant respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are provided in which expression of the second translational open reading frame encoded by the M2 gene (M2ORF2) is reduced or ablated to yield novel RSV vaccine candidates. Expression of M2 ORF2 is reduced or ablated by modifying a recombinant RSV genome or antigenome to incorporate a frame shift mutation, or one or more stop codons in M2 ORF2. Alternatively, M2 ORF2 is deleted in whole or in part to render the M2-2 protein partially or entirely non-functional or to disrupt its expression altogether. M2 ORF2 deletion and knock out mutants possess highly desirable phenotypic characteristics for vaccine development. These changes specify one or more desired phenotypic changes in the resulting virus or subviral particle. Vaccine candidates are generated that show a change in mRNA transcription, genomic or antigenomic RNA replication, viral growth characteristics, viral antigen expression, viral plaque size, and/or a change in cytopathogenicity. In addition, M2-2 knock out or deletion virus exhibits increased levels of synthesis of viral proteins in cell culture, providing an enriched source of viral antigen or protein for purification and use as a noninfectious subunit vaccine.
Abstract:
Human monoclonal antibodies and fragments thereof which bind, neutralize and provide passive immunotherapy to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) antigenic subgroups A and B are disclosed. Also disclosed are diagnostic and immunotherapeutic methods of using the monoclonal antibodies as well as cell line producing the monoclonal antibodies.
Abstract:
Recombinant parainfluenza virus (PIV) are provided in which expression of the C, D and/or V translational open reading frame(s) (ORFs) is reduced or ablated to yield novel PIV vaccine candidates. Expression of the C, D and/or V ORF(s) is reduced or ablated by modifying a recombinant PIV genome or antigenome, for example by introduction of a stop codon, by a mutation in an RNA editing site, by a mutation that alters the amino acid specified by an initiation codon, or by a frame shift mutation in the targeted ORF(s). Alternatively, the C, D and/or V ORF(s) is deleted in whole or in part to render the protein(s) encoded thereby partially or entirely non-functional or to disrupt protein expression altogether. C, D and/or V ORF(s) deletion and knock out mutants possess highly desirable phenotypic characteristics for vaccine development. These deletion and knock out mutations changes specify one or more desired phenotypic changes in the resulting virus or subviral particle. Vaccine candidates are generated that show a change in viral growth characteristics, attenuation, plaque size, and/or a change in cytopathogenicity, among other novel phenotypes. A variety of additional mutations and nucleotide modifications are provided within the C, D and/or V ORF(s) deletion or ablation mutant PIV of the invention to yield desired phenotypic and structural effects.