Conjugates utilizing platform technology for stimulating immune response

A conjugate, comprising:

• two templated alpha helical polypeptides of approximately equal length, wherein each polypeptide comprises at least two heptad repeats, and wherein the polypeptides are derived from at least one virus;
• a covalent linkage between the two polypeptides;
• and
• a carrier protein covalently linked to one of the polypeptides;
• wherein the first polypeptide comprises the form:
• [I-b1i-c1i-L-e1i-f1i-g1i]n,
• where [I-b1i-c1i-L-e1i-f1i-g1i] is a pattern that repeats n times in the sequence of the first polypeptide, giving rise to at least two discrete seven-amino-acid segments,
• where I in each segment is isoleucine,
• L in each segment is leucine,
• n is an integer of at least 2;
• i is an integer from 1 to n, wherein the value of i is determined by the position of the segment in which it appears, such that the N-terminal segment which appears first in the sequence is assigned a value of i=1, i is incremented by one for each additional segment, and the C-terminal segment is assigned a value of i=n;
• where each b, c, e, f, and g in each of the n segments is selected independently of each b, c, e, f, and g amino acid in all other segments of the first polypeptide, and of all segments of the second polypeptide;
• the b, c, e, f, and g amino acids are selected from an epitope;
• the second polypeptide comprises the form:
• [I-b2i-c2i-L-e2i-f2i-g2i]n,
• where [I-b2i-c2i-L-e2i-f2i-g2i] is a pattern that repeats n times in the sequence of the second polypeptide, giving rise to at least two discrete seven-amino-acid segments,
• where I in each segment is isoleucine,
• L in each segment is leucine,
• n is an integer of at least 2 and is the same as n for the first polypeptide;
• i is an integer from 1 to n, wherein the value of i is determined by the position of the segment in which it appears, such that the N-terminal segment which appears first in the sequence is assigned a value of i=1, i is incremented by one for each additional segment, and the C-terminal segment is assigned a value of i=n;
• where each b, c, e, f, and g in each of the n segments is selected independently of each b, c, e, f, and g amino acid in all other segments of the second polypeptide, and of all segments of the first polypeptide;
• the b, c, e, f, and g amino acids are selected from an epitope which is different from the epitope of the first polypeptide;
• wherein the conjugate has the form:
• [Carrier Moiety]-[Linker A]-[Linker B1]-[Templated Epitope 1]-[Epitope 1 Modifier]
• [Modifier B2]-[Templated Epitope 2]-[Epitope 2 Modifier]
• where Carrier Moiety, Linker A, Linker B 1, Modifier B2, Epitope 1 Modifier, and Epitope 2 Modifier are optionally present;
• and
• optionally comprising an additional covalent Linker C between Templated Epitope 1 and Templated Epitope 2;
• optionally comprising an additional covalent Linker D between Epitope 1 Modifier and Epitope 2 Modifier, or
• optionally comprising an additional covalent Linker C between Templated Epitope 1 and Templated Epitope 2 and an additional covalent Linker D between Epitope 1 Modifier and Epitope 2 Modifier, wherein the Epitope 1 Modifier and the Epitope 2 Modifier are present and are selected from hydrophilic, polar, and charged amino acids, wherein the [Linker A] moiety is present, wherein the [Linker B1] moiety is present;
• with the proviso that either both Epitope 1 Modifier and Epitope 2 Modifier are present, or Linker C is present, or Linker D is present.