High titer recombinant influenza viruses with enhanced replication in vero cells
AssigneeWisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
InventorsYoshihiro Kawaoka, Taisuke Horimoto, Shin Murakami
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention provides a composition useful to prepare high titer influenza viruses, e.g., in the absence of helper virus, which includes internal genes from an influenza virus vaccine strain or isolate, e.g., one that is safe in humans, for instance, one that does not result in significant disease, and genes from vaccine seed virus isolates which include a HA gene segment with a HA2 sequence encoding a HA2 that confers enhanced growth in cells in culture, such as Vero cells.
Claims22
An isolated Vero cell infected with a recombinant reassortant influenza virus having PA, PB1, PB2, NP, NS, and M gene segments from a first influenza vaccine virus isolate, an influenza virus HA gene segment selected to encode an aspartic acid or glutamic acid at position 117 in HA2, wherein the numbering for HA2 residues is that for H1 HA, and a NA gene segment that encodes a full-length NA protein that has a tyrosine at position 255, wherein the numbering for NA residues is that for N1.
An isolated recombinant reassortant influenza virus comprising a HA gene segment selected to encode an aspartic acid or glutamic acid at position 117 in HA2 and comprising a NA gene segment that encodes a full-length NA protein that has a tyrosine at position 255, wherein the numbering for NA residues is that for N1, wherein the recombinant influenza virus has enhanced replication in Vero cells relative to a corresponding influenza virus that does not have aspartic acid or glutamic acid at position 117 in HA2, wherein the numbering for HA2 residues is that for H1 HA2.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.