Viral vectors having reduced virulence

• US 6,942,855 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2004
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents (University of Arizona)
• Original Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents (University of Arizona)
• Inventors: Jacobs, Bertram, Vijaysri, Sangeetha, Langland, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Guzo, David
• Application Number:
  US10/830,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20050042206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• Field of Search: 435/320.1, 435/69.1, 424/93.1, 424/93.2, 424/93.6
• US Class Current: 424/93.2
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 2039/5256 expressing foreign proteins
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/86 Viral vectors
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 2710/24134 Use of virus or viral component as vaccine, e.g. live-attenuated or inactivated virus, VLP, viral protein
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 2710/24143 viral genome or elements thereof as genetic vector
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 2710/24161 Methods of inactivation or attenuation
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 7/00 Viruses; Bacteriophages; Compositions thereof; Preparation or purification thereof preparing medicinal viral antigen or antibody compositions, e.g. virus vaccines, A61K39/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 21/02 having a known sequence of two or more amino acids, e.g. glutathione

Abstract

The present invention provides recombinant vaccinia virus having a deletion of the region encoding the C-terminal seven amino acids of the E3L gene product and comprising exogenous DNA. Compositions comprising the recombinant vaccinia virus and methods of use thereof are also provided.

Claims

1. A method of inducing an immune response in a subject comprising

introducing to the subject an expression vector comprising

a vaccinia virus with reduced pathogenicity in an animal host, which comprises

an E3L gene that has a deletion of the region encoding amino acids 184-190 of the E3L protein and encodes a protein that binds dsRNA;

and

exogenous DNA operably linked to regulatory elements that control expression of said exogenous DNA.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the immune response is a wild-type vaccinia virus immune response.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said exogenous DNA encodes an antigen.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more non-essential virus-encoded gene functions have been deleted from the vaccinia virus.