Hepatitis a virus cell culture in vitro
AssigneeMerck & Co., Inc.
InventorsPhilip J. Provost, Maurice R. Hilleman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Hepatitis A virus is passaged at least once in a susceptible sub-human primate; the infected liver from such passage is used to inoculate an in vitro cell culture, the inoculated cell culture is incubated until hepatitis A antigen is detected in the cell sheet or culture fluid, and at least two serial in vitro passages in cell culture are carried out. The hepatitis A virus so modified can be used to prepare live, attenuated hepatitis A vaccine or an inactivated hepatitis A vaccine.
Claims9
A method of growing hepatitis A virus in cell culture comprising modification of the virus by carrying out at least one passage of the virus in a susceptible sub-human primate, removing the infected liver, inoculating an in vitro cell culture with the infected liver, incubating the cell culture until hepatitis A antigen is detectable in the culture cells or fluid, and carrying out at least one additional in vitro passage of the virus in cell culture.
A live attenuated hepatitis A virus vaccine comprising an antigenic and immunogenic hepatitis A virus which has been modified by at least one passage in the liver of a sub-human primate susceptible to hepatitis A virus disease and by at least two serial in vitro passages in cell culture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.