Therapeutic and diagnostic agents and uses thereof

A binding molecule comprising six complementarity determining region (CDR) sequences corresponding to all six of the CDR sequences of an antibody selected from the group consisting of:

• (a) 4H3C3, wherein the CDR1, 2 and 3 sequences of the variable heavy chain (VH) are as defined by SEQ ID NOs:
• 196, 197 and 198, respectively, and the CDR1, 2 and 3 sequences of the variable light chain (VL) are as defined by SEQ ID NOs:
• 199, 200 and 201, respectively;
• (b) 7B1F3, wherein the CDR1, 2 and 3 sequences of the variable heavy chain (VH) are as defined by SEQ ID NOs:
• 219, 220 and 221, respectively, and the CDR1, 2 and 3 sequences of the variable light chain (VL) are as defined by SEQ ID NOs:
• 199, 222 and 223, respectively;
• and
• (c) 2F5B11, wherein the CDR1, 2 and 3 sequences of the variable heavy chain (VH) are as defined by SEQ ID NOs:
• 242, 243 and 244, respectively, and the CDR1, 2 and 3 sequences of the variable light chain (VL) are as defined by SEQ ID NOs:
• 199, 245 and 246, respectively.

A vaccine composition suitable for use in vaccinating against, reducing the risk of, preventing, or combating a disease or condition associated with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), wherein:

• the vaccine is an active or passive vaccine,
• the vaccine triggers and/or provides an immune response directed to an epitope present within a polypeptide consisting of the amino acid sequence of TDVLNQSKPVTL (SEQ ID NO:
• 177) within extracellular domain 1 (ECD1) of a US28 protein of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), and
• said ECD1 and SEQ ID NO:
• 177 of the US28 protein comprises an amino acid sequence presented in the US28 protein at positions corresponding to positions 1 to 37 and 26 to 37, respectively, of the US28 protein encoded by HCMV as set forth in SEQ ID NO:
• 5.

A method of screening for a binding molecule having binding specificity to a first epitope within a polypeptide consisting of the amino acid sequence of TDVLNQSKPVTL (SEQ ID NO:

• 177) within extracellular domain 1 (ECD1) of a US28 protein of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), wherein ECD1 and SEQ ID NO:
• 177 of the US28 protein comprises an amino acid sequence presented in the US28 protein at positions corresponding to positions 1 to 37 and 26 to 27, respectively, of the US28 protein encoded by HCMV as set forth in SEQ ID NO:
• 5, the method comprising:
• (a) providing one or more peptides or polypeptides comprising, or consisting of, the sequence TDVLNQSKPVTL (SEQ ID NO:
• 177), or an immunogenic fragment thereof;
• (b) providing one or more candidate binding molecules;
• and
• (c) determining the binding specificity and/or binding affinity of one or more candidate binding molecules to the one or more peptides, thereby to select one or more binding molecules having binding specificity to the first epitope within a polypeptide consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 177.