Patents Assigned to The United States of America as represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services, Certers for Disease Control and Prevention
Abstract: Chimeric flaviviruses that are avirulent and immunogenic are provided. The chimeric viruses are constructed to contain amino acid mutations in the nonstructural proteins of a flavivirus. Chimeric viruses containing the attenuation-mutated nonstructural genes of the virus are used as a backbone into which the structural protein genes of a second flavivirus strain are inserted. These chimeric viruses elicit pronounced immunogenicity yet lack the accompanying clinical symptoms of viral disease. The attenuated chimeric viruses are effective as immunogens or vaccines and may be combined in a pharmaceutical composition to confer simultaneous immunity against several strains of pathogenic flaviviruses.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 18, 2006
Date of Patent:
January 5, 2010
Assignee:
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services, Certers for Disease Control and Prevention
Inventors:
Richard M. Kinney, Claire Y. H. Kinney, Duane J. Gubler, Siritorn Butrapet, Natth Bhamarapravati