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AssigneeLonghorn Vaccines and Diagnostics, LLC
InventorsGerald W. Fischer, Luke T. Daum, Richard F. Schuman, Clara J. Sei
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The invention is directed to compositions and methods for stimulating, enhancing or modulating the immune system of a patient before or after infection by a pathogen, and in particular multidrug resistant (MDR) MTB and extremely drug resistant (XDR) MTB. Compositions of the invention contain non-naturally occurring antigens that generate an effective cellular and/or humoral immune response to MTB and/or antibodies that are specifically reactive to MTB antigens. The greater activity of the immune system generated by a vaccine of the invention increases generation of memory T cells that provide for a greater and/or extended response to an MTB infection. Responses involve an increased generation of antibodies that enhance immunity against MTB infection and promote an enhanced phagocytic response. Monoclonal antibodies produced by the non-naturally occurring antigens enhance phagocytosis and killing of mycobacteria by phagocytic cells, enhance clearance of MTB from the blood and modulate immunity and cytokine responses.
An antigen obtained or derived from a Mycobacterial organism that has a structure altered by treatment with a chemical, with heat, with alcohol, with glutaraldehyde, and/or with sonication, wherein the altered structure is characterized by, after administration to a subject infected with Mycobacterial organisms, an enhancement of a humoral and/or a cellular immune response of the subject.
An immunogenic composition comprising an antigen obtained or derived from a Mycobacterial organism that has a structure altered by treatment with a chemical, with heat, with alcohol, with glutaraldehyde, and/or with sonication, wherein the altered structure is characterized by, after administration to a subject infected with Mycobacterial organisms, an enhancement of a humoral and/or a cellular immune response of the subject.
An antigen obtained or derived from a Mycobacterial organism that has a structure altered by treatment of the organism with a chemical, with heat, with alcohol, with glutaraldehyde, and/or with sonication, wherein the altered structure is characterized by, after administration to a subject infected with Mycobacterial organisms, an enhancement of a humoral and/or a cellular immune response of the subject, wherein the antigen comprises peptidoglycan, a heat shock protein, mycolic acid, and/or lipoarabinomannan, and the enhancement comprises opsonization, phagocytosis and killing of the Mycobacterial organisms.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.