73 results about "Immunodominance" patented technology

Disclosed herein is the discovery of a soluble MN / CA IX (s-CA IX) in body fluids, such as, urine and serum. Said s-CA IX comprises the extracellular domain of CA IX or portions thereof. The Predominant s-CA IX species is the extracellular domain comprising a proteoglycan-like (PG) domain and carbonic anhydrase (CA) domain, and having a molecular weight of about 50 / 54 kilodaltons (kd) upon Western blot. A smaller s-CA IX form of about 20 to about 30 kd comprising the CA domain or parts thereof, not linked to the PG domain, has also been found in body fluids. Diagnostic / prognostic methods for precancer and cancer that detect or detect and quantitate said s-CA IX in body fluids, are described. Also disclosed herein is the coexpression of CA IX and HER-2 / neu / c-erbB-2 that provides parallel, alternative and potentially synergistic diagnostic / prognostic and therapeutic strategies for precancer and cancer. Further disclosed are new MN / CA IX-specific antibodies generated from MN / CA IX-deficient mice, preferably monoclonal antibodies and immunoreactive fragments and engineered variants thereof. Such new MN / CA IX-specific antibodies, fragments and variants are useful diagnostically / prognostically and therapeutically for cancer and precancer. Particularly preferred are the new monoclonal antibodies, fragments and variants that are specific for the non-immunodominant epitopes of MN / CA IX, which antibodies are, among other uses, useful to detect soluble MN / CA IX (s-CA IX) in body fluids, alone but preferably in combination with antibodies specific to the immunodominant epitopes of MN / CA IX, for example, in a sandwich assay.

The present invention is directed to the examination of the pattern of immunodominant CD8 T cell epitopes in the E6 and E7 protein of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and its further characterization in terms of its amino acid sequence and HLA restriction. These epitopes are identified based on their ability to induce strong CD8 T cell response and therefore, are important as sources of antigens for dendritic cell immunotherapy to treat cervical cancer. The present invention contemplates identifying a number of similar epitopes restricted by a wide variety of HLA types so that they can be used in concert to develop a preventative vaccine, which can be used for general population.

Disclosed are novel methods for increasing muscle mass by means of immunization against Growth Differentiation Factor 8 (GDF-8, myostatin). Immunization is preferably effected by administration of analogues of GDF-8 which are capable of inducing antibody production against homologous GDF-8. Especially preferred as an immunogen is homologous GDF-8 which has been modified by introduction of one single or a few foreign, immunodominant and promiscuous T-cell epitopes while substantially preserving the tertiary structure of the homologous GDF-8. Also disclosed are nucleic acid vaccination against GDF-8 and vaccination using live vaccines as well as methods and means useful for the vaccination. Such methods and means include methods for identification of useful immunogenic GDF-8 analogues, methods for the preparation of analogues and pharmaceutical formulations, as well as nucleic acid fragments, vectors, transformed cells, polypeptides and pharmaceutical formulations.

The present invention is directed to the examination of the pattern of immunodominant CD8 T cell epitopes in the E6 and E7 protein of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and its further characterization in terms of its amino acid sequence and HLA restriction. These epitopes are identified based on their ability to induce strong CD8 T cell response and therefore, are important as sources of antigens for dendritic cell immunotherapy to treat cervical cancer. The present invention contemplates identifying a number of similar epitopes restricted by a wide variety of HLA types so that they can be used in concert to develop a preventative vaccine, which can be used for general population.

The invention is drawn to compositions and methods for the induction of a strong CD8 T cell response to a specific antigen(s). The combination of an early / late hybrid promoter directing strongly enhanced early expression of a neoantigen with at least three immunization rounds resulted in a highly efficient neoantigen-specific CD8 T cell response. This combination reversed the immunodominance hierarchy and converted a moderately immunogenic and subdominant CD8 T cell epitope into the immunodominant epitope.

An angiotensin IIreceptorI-type immune peptide section and its use are disclosed. The peptide section is selected from the amino-acid sequence as following: SEQ ID NO:181-187, amino-acid sequence of peptide section is Ala-Phe-His-Tyr-Glu-Ser-Arg; its analog is Ala-Phe-His-Tyr-Glu-Ser-Gln. It has excellent treatment performance, antigenicity and / or immunodominance. The use is carried out by feeding medicine by injecting for 0-8weeks. It can be used to treat primary hypertension as vaccine or medicinal composition.

The invention relates to a Qbeta-2aa phage virus-like particle protein which is prepared according to a method comprising the following steps of: (1) mutating a Qbeta phage CP (coat protein) gene terminator codon into a strong terminator codon TAA from TGA and then cloning the strong terminator codon into a protokaryon expression vector pET28a(+) to obtain a coding CP plasmid pETQB-CP; (2) inserting the nucleotides AAGCTT of coding lysine and leucine at the coding immunodominance determining region position in a Qbeta phage CP extension protein gene, i.e. between the 72th codon and the 73th codon of the Qbeta phage CP extension protein gene, and mutating the CP gene terminator codon into GGA from TGA and then cloning the GGA into a protokaryon expression vector PGEX4T-2 to obtain a codingA1 protein plasmid pGEXQbeta-A1; (3) jointly converting the mutated coding Qbeta phage CP plasmid and the A1 protein plasmid into escherichia coli, and inducing and then expressing to obtain the virus-like particle protein Qbeta-2aa; and (4) coupling a short peptide antigen to Qbeta-2aa phage virus-like particles by using a iso-bifunctional cross-linking agent.

Rational design of immunotherapeutics relies on clear knowledge of the immunodominant epitopes of antigens. Current methods for identifying kinetically stable peptide-MHC complexes are in many cases inadequate for a number of reasons. Disclosed herein is a reductionistic system incorporating known participants of MHC class II antigen processing in solution to generate peptide pools from antigens, including those for which no immunodominant epitope has yet been identified, that are highly enriched for proteolytic fragments containing their immunodominant epitopes. HLA-DM-mediated editing contributes significantly to immunodominance and is exploited in discovering immunodominant epitopes from novel or previously uncharacterized antigens, particularly antigens associated with pathogens, tumors or autoimmune diseases.

Disclosed are novel methods for combating diseases characterized by deposition of amyloid. The methods generally rely on immunization against amyloidogenic proteins (proteins contributing to formation of amyloid) such as beta amyloid (Aβ). Immunization is preferably effected by administration of analogues of autologous amyloidogenic polypeptides, said analogues being capable of inducing antibody production against the autologous amyloidogenic polypeptides. Especially preferred as an immunogen is autologous Aβ which has been modified by introduction of one single or a few foreign, immunodominant and promiscuous T-cell epitopes while substantially preserving the majority of Aβ's B-cell epitopes. Also disclosed are nucleic acid vaccination against amyloidogenic polypeptides and vaccination using live vaccines as well as methods and means useful for the vaccination. Such methods and means include methods for identification of useful immunogenic analogues of the amyloidogenic proteins, methods for the preparation of analogues and pharmaceutical formulations, as well as nucleic acid fragments, vectors, transformed cells, polypeptides and pharmaceutical formulations.

This invention relates to enzymatic removal of type A and B antigens from blood group A, B, and AB reactive cells in blood products, and thereby converting these to non-A and non-B reactive cells. The invention further relates to using unique αN-acetylgalactosaminidases and α-galactosidases with superior kinetic properties for removing the immunodominant monosaccharides of the blood group A and B antigens and improved performance in enzymatic conversion of red blood cells. The preferred unique α-N-acetylgalactosaminidases and α-galactosidases exhibit the following characteristics:(i) exclusive, preferred or no less than 10% substrate specificity for the type A and B branched polysaccharide structures relative to measurable activity with simple mono- and disaccharide structures and aglycon derivatives hereof; (ii) optimal performance at neutral pH with blood group oligosaccharides and in enzymatic conversion of cells; and (iii) a favorable kinetic constant Km with mono- and oligosaccharide substrates. The conversion methods of the invention use significantly lower amounts of recombinant glycosidase enzymes than previous and result in complete sero-conversion of all blood group A and B red cells.

The invention relates to the construction of recombinant, immunodominant Rickettsia typhi proteins. The invention also relates to a method for the use of the recombinant proteins, either singly or in combination, in detection and diagnostic assays. The proteins can also be used in anti-Rickettsia typhi immunogenic formulations.