Process for the preparation of non-toxic anthrax vaccine

US7888490B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Centre of Biotechnology Jawaharlal Nehru University · IN

Inventors

• Rakesh Bhatnagar · New Delhi, IN
• Pankaj Gupta · Scarsdale, US
• Smriti Batra · New Delhi, IN
• Vibha Chauhan · New Delhi, IN
• Aparna Singh · New Delhi, IN
• Nidhi Ahuja · New Delhi, IN
• Praveen Kumar · Santa Clara, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 20, 2002
• Grant date: Feb 15, 2011
• Expiry date: Mar 20, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61K39/00
• WIPO field: Pharmaceuticals
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Anthrax toxin, comprising of protective antigen (PA), lethal factor (LF) and edema factor (EF) is a major virulent factor of B. anthracis. Protective antigen, PA is the main component of all the vaccines against anthrax. The protective efficacy of PA is greatly increased if small quantities of LF of EF are incorporated into the vaccines. An ideal vaccine against anthrax should contain PA, LF and EF together, but this combination would be toxic. Therefore, the biologically inactive mutant preparations of PA, LF and EF may be used together for better immunoprotection. The present invention describes the method for generation of recombinant vaccine against anthrax, comprising of non-toxic, mutant anthrax toxin proteins. The procedure involves site-directed mutagenesis of the native genes of the toxin proteins, the expression and purification of the mutant proteins and finally characterization of these proteins.