65results about "Contraceptive vaccin ingredients" patented technology

The present invention relates to nanoparticle vaccines comprised of a carrier, particularly polymerized lipids, having multiple copies of an antigen or combinations of different antigens displayed on the carrier. Such antigen-displaying nanoparticles may also display a targeting molecule on its surface in order to direct it to a specific site or cell type to optimize a desired immune response. The present invention also relates to encapsulating an antigen or combinations of different antigens within such nanoparticles, with or without a targeting molecule displayed on its surface. The antigens used in this invention are effective to produce an immune response against a variety of pathological conditions.

Attenuated immunogenic bacteria having an RpoS+ phenotype, in particular, Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi having an RpoS+ phenotype and methods therefor are disclosed. The Salmonella have in addition to an RpoS+ phenotype, an inactivating mutation in one or more genes which render the microbe attenuated, and a recombinant gene capable of expressing a desired protein. The Salmonella are attenuated and have high immunogenicity so that they can be used in vaccines and as delivery vehicles for genes and gene products. Also disclosed are methods for preparing the vaccine delivery vehicles.

A vaccine for the immunocontraception of mammals is described. The vaccine consists of zona pellucida antigens and an adjuvant encapsulated in a liposome delivery system. The liposome delivery system allows for the slow release of antigen resulting in a prolonged immune response. In particular, after a single injection of the vaccine, levels of anti-zona pellucida antibodies were detected for up to 22 months in seals. Thus, the vaccine according to the present invention is effective after a single dose and is therefore very useful in immunocontraceptive protocols.

Disclosed are methods, compositions, and zona pellucida binding peptides and polypeptides for use in immunocontraception of canines and other animals. The disclosed compositions may include pharmaceutical compositions.

The present invention provides compositions and methods useful for regulating fertilization and for use as a contraceptive based on the discovery herein of an oocyte specific protein, SAS1R (Sperm Acrosomal SLLP1 Receptor), which is a sperm protein receptor. Six SAS1R variants, including the full length SAS1R, were identified. mSLLP1 and SAS1R co-localized to oocytes and to acrosomes of acrosome-reacted sperm. Interactions between mSLLP1 and SAS1R were demonstrated by far-western analysis, in a yeast two-hybrid system under stringent selection conditions, and by immunoprecipitation of SAS1R by anti-mSLLP1 as well as the converse. Purified recombinant SAS1R was found to have protease activity, to inhibit fertilization in-vitro, and to induce an immune response in females. Together, the results suggest SAS1R is a proteolytically active, oocyte and early embryo specific oolemmal metalloprotease receptor for the sperm intra-acrosomal ligand SLLP1 and is a target for regulating fertilization and as a contraceptive.

The present invention provides synthetic immunogenic lipopeptide molecules comprising co-linear T-helper and B cell epitopes, and methods for their production and use in the generation of primary and secondary immune responses, and for the vaccination of animal subjects against particular antigens. More particularly, the present invention provides highly soluble lipopeptides wherein the lipid moiety is attached to the terminal side-chain group of an internal lysine or lysine analog, preferably to the terminal side-chain group of an internal diamino acid residue. Preferably the internal lysine or lysine analog is positioned between the T-helper epitope and the B cell epitope or within the T-helper epitope.

The present invention is concerned with vaccines and their preparation. An effective long-term immune response, especially in mammals, can be produced using a vaccine comprising an antigen encapsulated in liposomes, a suitable adjuvant and a carrier comprising a continuous phase of a hydrophobic substance. The vaccine is particularly effective in eliciting the production of antibodies that recognize epitopes of native proteins.

The present invention is related to the fields of molecular biology, virology, immunology and medicine. The invention provides a composition comprising a virus like particle (VLP) and at least one GnRH peptide or fragment or variant thereof linked thereto.The invention also provides a process for producing the composition. The compositions of the invention are useful in the production of vaccines for the treatment of GnRH-related diseases and conditions and to efficiently induce immune responses, in particular antibody responses. Furthermore, the compositions of the invention are particularly useful to efficiently induce self-specific immune responses within the indicated context.

The present invention relates to virus-like particles of plant virus Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV), and in particular to modified VLPs of CMV comprising Th cell epitopes, in particular universal Th cell epitopes. Furthermore, these modified VLPs serve as, preferably, vaccine platform, for generating immune responses, in particular antibody responses, against antigens linked to said modified VLPs. The presence of the Th cell epitopes, in particular universal Th cell epitopes, led to a further increase in the generated immune response.

Disclosed are self-epitope-containing heat shock fusion proteins, DNA constructs encoding such fusion proteins, and methods of use. More specifically, disclosed are ubiquitin fusion proteins comprising ubiquitin fused to a plurality of identical or non-identical self-epitopes at specified locations. Immunization of an animal with these ubiquitin fusion proteins elicits an immune response to self-antigens present on endogenous proteins. Generation of an immune response to a specified self-antigen is a mechanism to decrease the levels of the endogenous protein below base-line.

A process for preparing a protein-polysaccharide conjugate includes reacting a protein with a polysaccharide to produce a mixture including a protein-polysaccharide conjugate and free protein. At least one unreacted reagent or low molecular weight component is removed from this mixture, without removing all of the free protein, to provide a purified mixture that contains the protein-polysaccharide conjugate and free protein. This purified mixture can be used as a conjugate vaccine, immunogen, or immunological reagent. Keeping the free protein in the purified mixture with the conjugate saves time and money in the conjugate production process. In another aspect of the invention, the purified mixture of the protein-polysaccharide conjugate and free protein is reacted with a hapten to produce a conjugate mixture including a hapten-protein conjugate and a hapten-protein-polysaccharide conjugate. Alternatively, the hapten-protein conjugate can be prepared first, this conjugate then reacting with a polysaccharide reagent to produce the conjugate mixture. This conjugate mixture can be treated further to remove the free hapten. The conjugate mixture, including the hapten-protein-polysaccharide conjugate and the hapten-protein conjugate, also can be used as a conjugate vaccine, immunogen, or immunological reagent.

The present invention provides an immunocontraceptive vaccine comprising a recombinant bacterial host that has been modified to produce egg- or sperm-specific polypeptide such as the sperm-specific protein lactate dehydrogenase-C (LDH-C). When animals such as rodents eat these bacteria, their immune systems produce antibodies that attack their sperms. Not only would the males have less viable sperm, the females would also have antibodies to sperm entering their reproductive systems. Immunocontraception is an attractive method for reducing the population size of animals with high fecundity, and sterilizing animals using such immunocontraceptives can reduce targeted animal populations to acceptable levels in an efficient, cost-effective, humane and, importantly, a species-specific manner.

A pharmaceutical composition using natural gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), and / or some of its mimetic peptides, indistinctly bound by its amino or carboxyl extremes to a carrier molecule; in one case by its carboxyl extreme and in the other case by the amino terminal extreme, thus eliciting a faster and more potent immunological response against the endogenous GnRH hormone. This finally leads to the ablation of the GnRH and consequently of the rest of the involved hormones in the stream GnRH / LH-FSH / Testosterone-(estrogens). An advantage of this formulation consists on facilitating the exposition to the immune system of a greater number of epitopes of the GnRH or its mimetics, minimizing thus the steric hindrance produced by the carriers. This invention has a direct application in the castration of pets and animals of economic interest, in the control of human fertility as well as in the treatment of hormone-sensitive tumors, such as that of the prostate, the breast, ovary, the endometry, testicles, hypophysis, salivary glands and other kinds of human tumors.

A composition for treating or preventing virus-induced infections is described, along with a process of producing the composition and methods of the composition's use. The composition comprises viral pathogen-infected cell or tissue, or malignantly or immunologically aberrant cells or tissues which has been reduced and / or denatured. The preferred composition is administered across a mucosal surface of an animal suffering or about suffer from infection. The composition is administered as preventive or therapeutic vaccine.

The present invention provides immunocontraceptive vaccines comprising a genetically engineered plant that has been modified to produce the sperm-specific protein lactate dehydrogenase-C (LDH-C). When animals such as rodents eat this plant, their immune systems produce antibodies that attack their sperms. Not only would the males have less viable sperm, the females would also have antibodies to sperm entering their reproductive systems. Immunocontraception is an attractive method for reducing the population size of animals with high fecundity, and sterilizing animals using such immunocontraceptives can reduce targeted animal populations to acceptable levels in an efficient, cost-effective, humane and, importantly, a species-specific manner.

An adjuvant composition which comprises an anionic macromolecule component particularly an ionic polysaccharide such as DEAE-dextran, and a saponin component, particularly an immunostimulating complex component. Immunogenic compositions comprising an immunogen and this adjuvant composition are also disclosed together with methods of use thereof.

The immune response of an animal to a target immunogen may be enhanced by use of a novel adjuvant which includes low concentrations of killed cells of Mycobacterium avium subspecies avium in combination with mineral oil. The adjuvant may be used in vaccine compositions for the immunization of an animal against any target immunogen, and is particularly preferred for use with immunocontraceptive vaccines such as GnRH and PZP immunocontraceptive vaccines.

The present invention is related to the fields of molecular biology, virology, immunology and medicine. The invention provides a composition comprising a virus-like particle (VLP) of an RNA-bacteriophage and at least one antigen, wherein the VLP is recombinantly produced in a host, and wherein the amount of host RNA with secondary structure comprised by the VLP is at most 20% of the amount of host RNA with secondary structure originally comprised by the VLP; and wherein the VLP and the at least one antigen are linked with one another. The invention also provides methods for producing the compositions of the invention. The compositions of the invention are useful in the production of vaccines for the treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions. Furthermore, the compositions of the invention are particularly useful to efficiently induce strong antibody responses against the antigen within the indicated context while lowering or eliminating unwanted T cell responses.

Chimeric peptide epitopes can serve as effective immunogens against hormones and other small peptides or proteins. Immunogenic peptides are selected from promiscuous helper T-lymphocyte epitopes and synthesized together with self antigenic peptide sequences optionally fused through a spacer moiety. Examples of the chimeric peptide immunogens of the invention include peptide sequences which may be from any antigen, such as a gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), linked with an immunogenic peptide sequence such as a promiscuous helper T-lymphocyte epitope of measles virus protein F, tetanus toxoid, or malaria protein CSP. Compositions of the chimeric immunogen are found effective in eliciting high and specific anti-GnRH antibody titers. This invention also relates to compositions and methods for synergistically enhancing or suppressing an immune response to a target antigen.

The present invention provides novel antibody vaccine conjugates and methods of using the same to induce a cytotoxic T cell (CTL) response. In a particular, embodiment, the vaccine conjugate includes a human chorionic gonadotropin beta subunit (betahCG) antigen linked to an anti-mannose receptor (MR) antibody.

The present invention relates to virus-like particles of plant virus Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV), and in particular to modified VLPs of CMV comprising Th cell epitopes, in particular universal Th cell epitopes. Furthermore, these modified VLPs serve as, preferably, vaccine platform, for generating immune responses, in particular antibody responses, against antigens linked to said modified VLPs. The presence of the Th cell epitopes, in particular universal Th cell epitopes, led to a further increase in the generated immune response.

The invention relates to immunotherapy of a mammalian subject by exposing the immune response cells of the subject to a nucleic acid construct encoding at least one hCG immunogenic epitope or precursor thereof such that the nucleic acid construct is taken up and processed by the immune response cells. The invention further relates to compositions comprising such hCG-encoding nucleic acid constructs.

The invention relates to a placenta-like chondroitin sulfate A immunization composition and application, and particularly discloses a contraceptive immunization composition. The placenta-like chondroitin sulfate A immunization composition comprises at least one type of placenta trophoblast cell specific expression polysaccharides and / or protein antigens and B cell dominant antigen epitopes of placenta-like chondroitin sulfate A core proteins CSPG4. The embryo or placenta trophoblast cell specific expression polysaccharides are selected from placenta-like chondroitin sulfate A. The placenta-like chondroitin sulfate A immunization composition and the application have the advantages that the opinion that implantation execution critical cytotrophoblast cells are targeted by contraceptive vaccine for early implantation which is a placentation and embryogenesis critical and sensitive period is proposed for the first time, and accordingly the contraception sensitivity and effectiveness can beimproved.

The invention provides a chicken luteinizing hormone releasing hormone recombinant antigen castrating vaccine and a preparation method therefor. The method comprises the steps: (1) designing a cLHRH gene; (2) subjecting a designed gene sequence to synthesis, annealing, enzyme digestion and connecting, and then, transferring the gene sequence into an Escherichia coli competent cell, so as to obtaina recombinant plasmid; (3) preparing an original bacterial solution; (4) carrying out lactose induction; (5) carrying out low-temperature osmotic shock separation and purification; (6) carrying out hydroformylation by adopting 10*hydroformylation brine; and (7) carrying out vaccine preparation. The preparation method is simple, the cost is low, the whole preparation process is free of any substance which is potentially toxic and harmful to animals or is difficult to degrade, and the prepared vaccine has a good castrating effect and is convenient to use and good in stability.

The present invention provides a peptide useful for raising an antiLHRH response in an animal. The peptide comprises a first and second region, the first region consisting of a sequence of less than 60 amino acids which comprises at least one T helper cell epitope and the second region consisting of the sequence SYGLRPG.