Varicella-zoster virus as a live recombinant vaccine
AssigneeMerck & Co., Inc.
InventorsRonald W. Ellis, Elliott Kieff, Edward M. Scolnick, Robert S. Lowe
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Abstract
A vaccine strain of varicella-zoster virus (VZV), tested in clinical trials, is capable of preventing chickenpox in children. This virus has been modified by the introduction into its genome of heterologous DNA which encodes an immunogenic polypeptide of another human pathogen. This heterologous polypeptide is expressed in cells infected by the recombinant virus. Such recombinant VZV is useful as a vaccine for chickenpox as well as for heterologous pathogens.
Claims13
VZV modified by the presence in a nonessential gene or region of its genome of non-VZV viral DNA whose coding sequence specifies an immunogenic protein of a human pathogen.
A method for producing VZV modified by the presence in a nonessential gene or region of its genome of non-VZV viral DNA whose coding sequence specifies an immunogenic protein of a human pathogen, which comprises applying to a cell monolayer a medium containing VZV and non-VZV DNA, wherein the non-VZV DNA is linked to sequences colinear with DNA present in a nonessential gene or region of the VZV genome, detecting cells infected with recombinant VZV, amplifying the cells infected with recombinant VZV, and sonicating and filtering the resultant cell monolayer, whereby plaque pure recombinant VZV is isolated.
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