US2014234362A1PendingUtilityA1

Defensin-antigen fusion proteins

67
Assignee: US HEALTHPriority: Sep 15, 2000Filed: May 2, 2014Published: Aug 21, 2014
Est. expirySep 15, 2020(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Larry W. KwakBira Arya
C07K 2319/00C07K 14/4723A61K 38/00A61K 39/39558A61P 37/04A61K 38/19A61P 35/00A61K 31/7088A61P 31/18A61P 31/12C07K 14/005A61K 39/00117A61K 47/48284A61K 47/48269A61K 47/4833
67
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Claims

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vaccine for increasing the immunogenicity of a tumor antigen thus allowing treatment of cancer, as well as a vaccine that increases the immunogenicity of a viral antigen, thus allowing treatment of viral infection, including immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. In particular, the present invention provides a fusion protein comprising a defensin fused to either a tumor antigen or viral antigen which is administered as either a protein or nucleic acid vaccine to elicit an immune response effective in treating cancer or effective in treating or preventing viral infection.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
We claim: 
     
         1 . A method for treating a subject that has a viral infection, comprising,
 administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a composition comprising a fusion polypeptide and a carrier, or a composition comprising a nucleic acid encoding the fusion polypeptide and a carrier,   wherein the fusion polypeptide comprises a defensin and a viral antigen from the virus,   thereby inducing an immune response to the virus and treating the viral infection in the subject.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the defensin is a beta defensin selected from the group consisting of human beta defensin 1 (HBD1) and human beta defensin 2 (HBD2), or wherein the defensin is an alpha defensin selected from the group consisting of HNP-1, HNP-2, and HNP-3. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the defensin is an alpha defensin selected from the group consisting of HNP-1, HNP-2, and HNP-3. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the defensin is human beta defensin 2 (HBD2). 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the subject is infected with a human immunodeficiency virus. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the viral antigen is gp160, gp120, gp41, or an immunogenic fragment thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the viral antigen is gp120 or an immunogenic fragment thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of the composition comprising the nucleic acid encoding the fusion polypeptide. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising
 administering to the subject a vector comprising the nucleic acid encoding the fusion polypeptide.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the vector is a plasmid vector. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of the composition comprising the fusion polypeptide and a carrier. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the defensin is an alpha defensin selected from the group consisting of HNP-1, HNP-2, and HNP-3. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the defensin is human beta defensin 2 (HBD2). 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the viral infection is a human immunodeficiency virus infection, and wherein the viral antigen is gp 160, gp120, gp41, or an immunogenic fragment thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising measuring one or more of migration, recruitment or activation of natural killer cells, dendritic cells, polymorphonuclear leuckocytes and cytotoxic T cells. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising administering an adjuvant to the subject. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the adjuvant is a cytokine. 
     
     
         18 . A method for inducing an immune response to a viral antigen, comprising,
 administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a composition comprising a nucleic acid encoding a fusion polypeptide and a carrier,   wherein the fusion polypeptide comprises a defensin and the viral antigen   thereby inducing an immune response to the viral antigen.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the defensin is a beta defensin selected from the group consisting of human beta defensin 1 (HBD1) and human beta defensin 2 (HBD2), or wherein the defensin is an alpha defensin selected from the group consisting of HNP-1, HNP-2, and HNP-3. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the defensin is an alpha defensin selected from the group consisting of HNP-1, HNP-2, and HNP-3. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the defensin is human beta defensin 2 (HBD2). 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the subject is infected with a human immunodeficiency virus. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the viral antigen is gp160, gp120, gp41, or an immunogenic fragment thereof. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the viral antigen is gp120 or an immunogenic fragment thereof.

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