Enhancement of B cell activation and immunoglobulin secretion by co-stimulation of receptors for antigen and EBV Gp350/220

Abstract

The present invention provides vaccine adjuvants comprising the Epstein Barr Virus glycoprotein 350/220 or naturally occurring variants thereof, a fusion protein comprising EBV Gp350/220 sequence which binds to the CR2 receptor, or a synthetically-derived fragment of Gp350/220 which retains the ability to bind to the CR2 receptor. The present invention further provides immunostimulatory compositions comprising an EBV Gp350/220 adjuvant sequence that binds the CR2 complex and at least one antigen of interest other than Gp350/220. Co-administration of the adjuvant with an antigen of interest, other than an antigen comprising EBV 350/220 sequence, enhances the immunogenicitiy of the antigen. In a preferred embodiment, the adjuvant is directly or indirectly covalently bound to an antigen of interest to form an immunogenic composition. In a most preferred embodiment of the composition, antibodies are elicited against at least one Gp350/220 epitope and against at least one epitope of the antigen.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.