Cattle leukaemia vaccine containing recombinant vaccinia virus incorporating cattle leukaemia virus surface antigen gene

Patent Report Recombinant bluetongue virus protein production in insect cells, e.g. Spodoptera frugiperda; application in vaccine manufacture OxJord Virol. Eur. 279 661; 24 August 1988 A new process for producing a polypeptide, containing at least an antigenic portion of a bluetongue virus (BTV) protein, comprises infecting susceptible insects or cultured insect cells with an expression vector having a D N A segment encoding the polypeptide. The D N A segment can encode a BTV surface protein, core protein, the VP2 neutralization antigen or VP3 group-specific antigen. A recombinant baculovirus may be used as expression vector comprising the D N A segment and a promoter capable of directing expression of the polypeptide in an infected insect or in infected insect cells. Particularly, D N A sequences corresponding to the genes encoding VP2 and VO3 are inserted into a baculovirus transfer vector in lieu of the 5' coding region of the polyhedrin gene of Autographa cal!fornica nuclear-polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV). Spodoptera frugiperda cells, cotransfected with wild type A c N P V D N A in the presence of the derived recombinant transfer vector, produce recombinant polypeptides which have a high potential for use as or in the manufacture of vaccines and diagnostic reagents. 022 89

Synthetic anti-caries peptide vaccine preparation active against Streptococcus mutant,, monoclonal antibody preparation and hybridoma construction Guy's and Thomas's Hosp. Eur. 280 576, 31 August 1988 A synthetic peptide with amino acid sequences identical to fragments of antigen I or antigen I/II or antigen X is capable of provoking formation in vivo of antibodies that recognize Streptococcus mutans antigen. Also new are: (1) a method for producing a peptide synthetically; (2) a method for producing a peptide which comprises expressing the D N a in a host; (3) a vaccine for the control of dental caries comprising the new peptide and a carrier or diluent; (4) an antibody to the peptide; (5) a monoclonal antibody against the peptide; (6) a method for producing a vaccine; (7) a method for producing the antibodies; (8) a method for producing the monoclonal antibodies which comprises injecting the peptide into an animal, preferably a mouse, and fusing spleen cells with myeloma cells to produce a hybridoma, from which the monoclonal antibodies are recovered; (9) a passive vaccine for dental caries suitable for gingival application; (10) a method for the control of dental caries. The peptides are devoid of contamination and direct the production of specific anti-S, mutans antibodies and stimulate helper T-lymphocyte proliferation. 023-89

Polypeptides reactive with anti-human lymphocyte T4 for use in HIV virus, e.g. AIDS, vaccine production; monoclonal antibody production and hybridoma construction Nissin Food Eur. 280 468; 31 August 1988 A new purified immunologically active polypeptide, capable of specifically binding the HIV virus and which is interactive with the T4 surface proteins during HIV virus infection of host cells, is able to neutralize the infectivity of the HIV virus in vitro by reaction with an antibody against lymphocyte T4. Also new are: (1) monoclonal anti-monoclonal-anti-human lymphocyte T4 antibody; (2) monoclonal anti-OKT4 antibody; (3) monoclonal anti-OKT4A antibody; (4) hybridomas capable of producing the monoclonal antibodies including JT4C8, JT4CI2, JT4CI6, J T I - I F 3 , J T I - I F 3 - E 5 , J T I - I D 7 and JT2-N15; (5) a method of treating HIV infections using the polypeptides; (6) a method of treating HIV infections using antibodies; (7) a HIV virus vaccine composed of the polypeptide or the antibodies; (8) an assay for detection of HIV antigens in body samples; (9) a method for segregating HIV-infected cells in a population of infected and normal cells; (10) a method for isolating and purifying HIV proteins from a reaction mixture; (1 l) a microbiological host transformed with polypeptide encoding DNA. 024-89

162 Vaccine, Vol. 7, April 1989

HIV virus envelope polypeptides, variants and antibodies used in immune disease, e.g. AIDS, diagnosis, therapy and vaccine production Genentech Eur. 279 688; 24 August 1988 The use of HIV virus envelope polypeptides in the manufacture of a medicament for treatment of immunoinflammatory episodes, e.g. associated with inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, juvenileonset diabetes, Grave disease, myasthenia gravis, and hostgraft, graft-host rejections is new. Also new are: (1) a composition comprising the TCB domain of HIV envelope gene which is free of HIV virus epitope flanking regions; (2) an HIV virus vaccine comprising an HIV virus envelope variant which is not capable of binding to the T4 receptor o f T 4 helper lymphocytes; (3) an antibody with TCB domain binding characteristics of monoclonal antibody (mAb) 5C2E5 ( A T C C HB-9435); (4) a conjugate of a substance capable of binding to the cell surface marker and HIV envelope polypeptides or their fragments which are capable of binding to the T4 receptor of helper lymphocytes; (5) an immunotoxin comprising a mAb which specifically binds a cell surface antigen and is linked to a toxin, preferably ricin; and (6) the use of the immunotoxin in the manufacture of medicament for killing non-tumourigenic virus infected cells. 025 89

Vaccine for immunization against a parasitic worm Dirofilaria immitis or A. conjure comprising genetically engineered mutants Caenorhabditis elegans and Caenorhabditis briggsae Lew K K US 4756 908; 12 July 1988 A vaccine for use in immunizing a host subject to infection by a parasitic worm, Dirofiluria immitis or A. conium, comprises a mutant of the easily grown non-parasitic worm Caenorhabditis elegans, which has been genetically modified to produce antigens immunologically identical with the antigens of the parasitic worm and a carrier. Also new is a vaccine for immunizing a host subject to infection with D. immitis which comprises a mutant of the easily grown non-parasitic worm Caenorhabditis briggsae which has been genetically modified to produce antigens of D. immitis together with a carrier. The vaccines can be used to protect against heartworm. The genes of a closely related worm species that is easy to culture can be altered to generate antigens of a difficult to culture parasitic worm. 02(~89

Expression of precore-core or preS 1-preS2-S genes of hepatitis B virus in vertebrate, e.g. mouse NIH3T3, cell culture Scripps World 8806 185; 25 August 1988 A recombinant D N A molecule encoding essentially the precorecore gene of hepatitis B virus operatively linked to a vector is new. The vector is preferably a retrovirus or plasmids pARV2, pARV2P1/2S or p A R V 1 M T . Also new are: (1) transfected vertebrate host cell cultures grown in a nutrient culture medium, preferably N I H 3T3 cells or a monoclonal culture; (2) a composition comprising an admixture of proteins of mol.wt 15000, 18000 and 21 000, each with an amino acid sequence homologous to the hepatitis B virus precore-core gene, the composition having envelope but not core antigenicity: (3) a method of producing a composition containing many proteins which comprises: (a) culturing vertebrate cells, transformed with a vector containing hepatitis B virus genes in a culture medium; and (b) collecting the secreted proteins; (4) a protein particle, preferably glycosylated, expressed by the D N A ; and (5) a method of producing the proteinaceous particles. Vertebrate cells transfected with the recombinant D N A are used for producing proteins which are used in hepatitis vaccine production and diagnosis. 027 89