Non-infectious, replication-defective, self-assembling HIV-1 viral particles containing antigenic markers in the gag coding region
US5955342A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 15, 1994 |
| Grant date | Sep 21, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 15, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2469/20
- WIPO fieldPharmaceuticals
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
The present invention is concerned with the ability to differentiate between infection by HIV and immunization with an immunogenic preparation. Accordingly, the present invention provides a non-infectious, non-replicating, HIV retrovirus-like particle containing a heterologous antigenic marker, comprising an assembly of (a) an env gene product; (b) a pol gene product; (c) a gag gene product; and, (d) at least one non-retroviral, non-mammalian antigenic marker. The antigenic marker may have between 5 and 100 amino acid residues. In one embodiment, the amino acid sequence contains a tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) epitope obtained from the coat protein. In another embodiment, the marker is inserted into the gag gene product at an antigenically-active insertion site. The presence of the antigenic marker enables recognition that antiserum containing anti-HIV antibodies has been generated by exposure to the non-infectious retrovirus-like particles, as opposed to wild-type HIV infection, by testing for antibodies specific to the antigenic marker.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.