HCMV vaccine strain
AssigneeUniversitätsmedizin der Johannes Gutenberg-Univsersität Mainz
InventorsBodo Plachter, Christine Zimmermann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules encoding a recombinant human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) strain, dense bodies produced by said HCMV strain and preparations of said dense bodies for use in medicine, particularly as a vaccine against HCMV.
Claims23
A nucleic acid molecule encoding the genome of a recombinant human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) strain, wherein the recombinant HCMV strain does not encode a functional pUL25 protein, and wherein the recombinant HCMV strain does not encode a functional heterologous protein.
A method of producing an HCMV dense body, comprising the steps:
- (a) infecting a mammalian target cell with an HCMV strain comprising at least one gene encoding a replication-essential HCMV protein, wherein the replication-essential HCMV protein is selected from the group consisting of pUL51 pUL37.1, pUL44, pUL50, pUL52, pUL53, pUL54, pUL56, pUL57, pUL70, pUL77, pUL80, pUL84, pUL89.1, pUL98, pUL102, pUL104, pUL105, and pUL122 fused to a gene encoding a destabilizing protein domain under conditions wherein a stabilizing ligand of said destabilizing protein domain is present, wherein the destabilizing protein domain is an FKBP protein and the stabilizing ligand is Shield-1, wherein the HCMV strain does not encode a functional heterologous protein other than FKBP protein, wherein the HCMV strain does not encode a functional heterologous protein, and
- (b) culturing the cell under conditions wherein the stabilizing ligand is absent, and an HCMV dense body is produced.
A HCMV dense body produced by infection of a mammalian target cell with a recombinant HCMV strain encoded by a nucleic acid molecule comprising at least one replication-essential HCMV gene, wherein the replication-essential HCMV protein is selected from the group consisting of pUL51 pUL37.1, pUL44, pUL50, pUL52, pUL53, pUL54, pUL56, pUL57, pUL70, pUL77, pUL80, pUL84, pUL89.1, pUL98, pUL102, pUL104, pUL105, and pUL122 fused to a gene encoding a destabilizing protein domain, wherein the destabilizing protein domain is an FKBP protein and wherein the recombinant HCMV strain does not encode a functional heterologous protein other than FKBP protein, and wherein the recombinant HCMV strain does not encode a functional heterologous protein.
A method for increasing the safety of a HCMV vaccine comprising:
- (a) providing a recombinant HCMV strain encoded by a nucleic acid molecule comprising at least one replication-essential HCMV gene, wherein the replication-essential HCMV protein is selected from the group consisting of pUL51 pUL37.1, pUL44, pUL50, pUL52, pUL53, pUL54, pUL56, pUL57, pUL70, pUL77, pUL80, pUL84, pUL89.1, pUL98, pUL102, pUL104, pUL105, and pUL122, which is fused to a gene encoding a destabilizing protein domain, wherein the destabilizing protein domain is a FKBP protein, wherein the recombinant HCMV strain does not encode a functional heterologous protein other than FKBP protein, wherein the recombinant HCMV strain does not encode a functional heterologous protein, and
- (b) infecting a mammalian target cell with the recombinant HCMV strain to produce a HCMV dense body particle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.