Cholera vaccines
AssigneePresident and Fellows of Harvard College
InventorsJohn J. Mekalanos, Ronald K. Taylor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The gene encoding the TcpA pilus has been cloned. It encodes a protein useful in live, killed-cell, and synthetic vaccines. Protein production is enhanced by specific medium conditions.
Claims16
A method of producing a TcpA vaccine comprising
- growing a culture of Vibrio cholerae cells in a growth medium wherein said medium a) contains at least one of the following amino acids:
- asparagine, arginine, serine, glutamic acid, glutamine, wherein said growth medium is maintained at a temperature of 22.degree.-30.degree. C. with exposure to oxygen, b) has an ionic strength equivalent to at least 50 .mu.M NaCl, c) has a pH of about 6.5 or less;
- and d) is maintained at a temperature of 22.degree.-30.degree. C. with exposure to oxygen;
- wherein said TcpA pilus is present at a concentration representing 1% or more of total cell protein;
- recovering a TcpA antigen-containing fraction from said culture;
- and
- formulating a vaccine comprising a TcpA antigen obtained from said fraction and a physiologically acceptable carrier.
A method of making a vaccine comprising providing a cell engineered to include at least one expressible TcpA pilus gene, culturing said cell such that said TcpA gene results in TcpA pilus being present at a concentration representing 1% or more of total protein,
- recovering a TcpA antigen-containing fraction from said culture;
- and
- and formulating a vaccine comprising a TcpA antigen obtained from said fraction and a physiologically acceptable carrier.
A bacterial cell comprising at least 1% total protein as TcpA, said cell lacking toxic levels of cholera toxin.
A TcpA vaccine comprising a polypeptide in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, said polypeptide comprising protective immunogenic determinant of the TcpA pilus of Vibrio cholerae.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.