Safer Attenuated Virus Vaccines with Missing or Diminished Latency of Infection
Description of Invention:
This technology describes recombinant viruses that have weakened ability to establish and/or maintain latency and their use as live vaccines. The viruses have one or more genetic mutations that allow for continued replication but that inhibit latency. The vaccine materials and methods for their construction are exemplified with the virus that causes chickenpox and whose latent infection results in shingles, a condition that affects up to an estimated 1 million people per year in the United States alone. Additionally, there are veterinary applications of this technology. Specific examples of gene deletions, modifications, and/or insertions are described. Furthermore, replacement of these deleted genes with other desirable viral antigen encoding sequence(s) and/or cytokine genes in order to enhance a desired immunological response is also described. Aspects of this technology are relevant to other live virus vaccines, thus increasing the safety of such vaccines.
Inventors:
Jeffrey Cohen et al. (NIAID)
Patent Status:
DHHS Reference No. E-217-2004/0 --
U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/583,399 filed 28 Jun 2004
PCT Application No. PCT/US2005/21788 filed 22 Jun 2005, which published as WO 2006/012092 on 02 Feb 2006
U.S. Patent Application No. 11/630,147 filed 20 Dec 2006
For Additional Information Please Contact: Cristina Thalhammer-Reyero PhD MBA
NIH Office of Technology Transfer
6011 Executive Blvd, Suite 325
Rockville, MD 20852-3804
Phone: (301) 435-4507
Email: thalhamc@mail.nih.gov
Fax: (301) 402-0220
