Enhanced first generation adenovirus vaccines expressing codon optimized HIV1-gag, pol, nef and modifications

US6733993B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• MERCK & CO., INC. · US

Inventors

• Emilio Emini · Paoli, US
• Rima Youil · Melbourne, AU
• Andrew J. Bett · Lansdale, US
• Ling Chen · Shanghai, CN
• David C. Kaslow · Rancho Santa Fe, US
• John Shiver · Doylestown, US
• Timothy Toner · Marlton, US
• Danilo Casimiro · Harleysville, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 14, 2001
• Grant date: May 11, 2004
• Expiry date: Oct 4, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C12N2830/42
• WIPO field: Pharmaceuticals
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

First generation adenoviral vectors and associated recombinant adenovirus-based HIV vaccines which show enhanced stability and growth properties and greater cellular-mediated immunity are described within this specification. These adenoviral vectors are utilized to generate and produce through cell culture various adenoviral-based HIV-1 vaccines which contain HIV-1 gag, HIV-1 pol and/or HIV-1 nef polynucleotide pharmaceutical products, and biologically relevant modifications thereof. These adenovirus vaccines, when directly introduced into living vertebrate tissue, preferably a mammalian host such as a human or a non-human mammal of commercial or domestic veterinary importance, express the HIV1-Gag, Pol and/or Nef protein or biologically modification thereof, inducing a cellular immune response which specifically recognizes HIV-1. The exemplified polynucleotides of the present invention are synthetic DNA molecules encoding HIV-1 Gag, encoding codon optimized HIV-1 Pol, derivatives of optimized HIV-1 Pol (including constructs wherein protease, reverse transcriptase, RNAse H and integrase activity of HIV-1 Pol is inactivated), HIV-1 Nef and derivatives of optimized HIV-1 Nef, includi…