Potent Report This section provides information on worldwide patents relevant to vaccine design and production. The Patent Report gives the following information : title of patent, patentee, patent number, publication data and summary of the patent. A number of patents in this report are reproduced from 'Biotechnology Abstracts' with permission of Derwent Publications Ltd, Rochdale House, 128 Theobalds Road, London WC1X 8RP, UK

Vaccines for protection against flavivirus e.g. dengue virus infection; construction of recombinant vaccinia virus vector encoding dengue virus envelope protein for use as vaccine Nat. Inst. Health Bethesda USA 7572 633 ; 22 October 1991

The following are provided: a DNA construct (I) encoding 80- 81% of the N-terminus of a flavivirus envelope (E) protein ; a vector for introducing (I) into eukaryotic or prokaryotic host cells; host cells transformed with (I); a recombinant protein comprising 80-81% of the N-terminus of a flavivirus E protein ; and purified antibodies specific for the recombinant E protein. The recombinant E protein is more immunogenic than longer or shorter envelope proteins, and can be used as a vaccine for immunization of primates against flavivirus e.g. dengue virus infection. In an example, an extended DNA fragment encoding the N-terminal signal, complete E plus the first 30 amino acids of the downstream nonstructural 1 (NS1) protein of dengue virus was inserted into vaccinia virus (VV) vector plasmid pSC11. The extended DNA sequences were used to construct a gene bank of fragments specifying full-length E and a series of C-terminally truncated E. Mice immunized with recombinant VV expressing dengue virus 4 structural proteins and authentic NS1 were protected against fatal and lethal dengue virus encephalitis, respectively.

049-92

Stably cloned DNA encoding dengue virus type 4 RNA; used to produce mutants and chimeric constructs with reduced virulence for production of live recombinant vaccine US Dept. Health Human Ser. USA 7610 206; 5 November 1991

Full-length cloned genomic eDNA (I) encoding dengue virus-4 (10646 nucleotides, 101 non-coding 5' residues and 384 3' non-coding residues and the other residues encoding a 3386 amino acid protein), vector or DNA constructs containing (I), hosts transformed with (I), especially Escherichia coil, are new. (I) was obtained by a novel cloning strategy using plasmid pBR322 and E. coli BD1528. The following are also new: (1) in vitro production of infectious RNA transcripts capable of initiating dengue virus infection when transfected into permissive cells; (2) a method for engineering mutations at strategic regions in the dengue virus genome using site-directed mutagenesis; (3) recovery of dengue virus mutants for evaluation of biological properties e.g. virulence in infected animals or primates; (4) construction of chimeric dengue virus-4 containing dengue virus-l, -2, or -3, or other flavivirus gene sequences; (5) genetic engineering of attenuated avirulent dengue viruses of all four serotypes for use as live recombinant vaccines for dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever shock syndrome, etc. 050-92

Recombinant vaccinia virus; pig herpes virus-I capsid protein gene cloning and expression; DNA sequence; use in Aujeszky disease diagnosis and therapy, or as recombinant vaccine Noriinsho ; Mitsubishi Chem. Jpn 3247 285 ; 5 November 1991

A DNA sequence encoding a principal capsid protein gene of pig herpes virus-1 (1300 amino acids) is new. All or part of the gene may be inserted in a recombinant vaccinia virus vector. The new capsid protein may be used in diagnosis and therapy of pig Aujeszky disease, or as a recombinant vaccine, and may be produced efficiently by recombinant DNA technology. In an example, the capsid protein was prepared by infection of 400 million MDBK cells with pig herpes virus-l, culture at 37°C for 16 h, extraction, preparative SDS-PAGE, electro- elution and acetone precipitation, to obtain 700/~g capsid protein. 051-92

Baculovirus-expressed rabies virus nucleoprotein; Sporopteru frugiperda Sf9 insect cell culture infected with recombinant Autographa californica nuclear-polyhedrosis virus; used in vaccine, diagnosis, antibody production U.S. Dept. Health Human Ser. USA 7691 857; 12 November 1991

A DNA construct is disclosed which comprises two DNA segments, the 1st of which encodes the rabies virus nucleoprotein (N) and is inserted into a transfer vector containing the 2nd DNA segment, which encodes (at least) a baculovirus (Autographa californica nuclear-polyhedrosis virus) polyhedrin gene promoter and flanking non-coding sequences (leader peptide sequence, transcription termination sequence and other control sequences) but lacks the sequences encoding the polyhedrin protein itself. The 1st DNA segment is operably linked to the polyhedrin promoter, thus affecting N gene expression. A suitable vector is plasmid pAcYMI (plasmid A. californica Yoshiharu Matsuura I). Insect host cells, such as Spodoptera frugiperda St9 cells, producing the baculovirus- expressed rabies virus N protein, are also disclosed. This is an inexpensive, easy and safe method of producing rabies virus N protein for use as a vaccine, in diagnostic assays, in the production of rabies antibodies for use as anti-rabies conjugates and in diagnostic assays, and to adsorb anti-rabies conjugate.

052-92

Infectious-bursal-disease virus RNA and DNA sequence; useful in recombinant vaccine production in Eschericlda coil, Spodopterafrugiperda, fowl embryo fibroblast or kidney cell, or Vero cell culture Univ. Maryland World 9116 925; 14 November 1991

An RNA sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising at least one copy of the infectious-bursal-disease virus (IBDV) VP2 protein selected from E/DEL and GLS strains is claimed. Specifically claimed is an RNA sequence encoding the VP2, VP3 and VP4 proteins of GLS and E/DEL IBDV. Also claimed are: a single-stranded DNA sequence (reproduced in the specification) corresponding to the RNA; a recombinant vector; a host carrying the vector; and the recombinant protein produced by such a host. More specifically, the polypeptide comprises the amino acids 200-300 of the VP2, and the RNA sequence is about 3.2 kb. The vector preferably includes a

0264-410X/92/070485-02 © 1992 Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Vaccine, Vol. 10, Issue 7, 1992 485