Vaccine compositions and methods of use

Abstract

The present disclosure provides vaccine compositions comprising at least one adjuvant and at least one antigen, wherein the adjuvant is a cationic lipid. The disclosure also provides methods of treating a disease in a mammal, methods of preventing a disease in a mammal, and methods of effecting antigen cross presentation to induce a humoral immune response and a cellular immune response in a mammal utilizing the vaccine compositions. Cross presentation of various antigens can be achieved by formulating the specific antigens with cationic lipids possessing adjuvant properties.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A vaccine composition comprising at least one adjuvant and at least one pathogenic antigen, wherein the adjuvant is a cationic lipid. 
     
     
         2 . The vaccine composition of  claim 1  wherein the cationic lipid is a non-steroidal cationic lipid. 
     
     
         3 . The vaccine composition of  claim 1  wherein the cationic lipid is selected from the group consisting of DOTAP, DOTMA, DOEPC, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The vaccine composition of  claim 1  wherein the adjuvant is an enantiomer of the cationic lipid. 
     
     
         5 . The vaccine composition of  claim 4  wherein the enantiomer is R-DOTAP or S-DOTAP. 
     
     
         6 . The vaccine composition of  claim 1  wherein one or more antigens is a viral antigen. 
     
     
         7 . The vaccine composition of  claim 1  wherein one or more antigens is a bacterial or fungal antigen. 
     
     
         8 . The vaccine composition of  claim 1  wherein at least one antigen is an antigen from a conserved region of a pathogen. 
     
     
         9 . The vaccine composition of  claim 8  wherein the vaccine composition is a universal vaccine. 
     
     
         10 . The vaccine composition of  claim 7  wherein the vaccine composition is an influenza vaccine, and wherein the influenza vaccine comprises a glycoprotein antigen found on the surface of an influenza virus. 
     
     
         11 . The vaccine composition of  claim 10  wherein the antigen is a hemagglutinin antigen. 
     
     
         12 . The vaccine composition of  claim 11  wherein the hemagglutinin antigen comprises an epitope region HA 818-526 . 
     
     
         13 . The vaccine composition of  claim 10  wherein the influenza vaccine is a neuraminidase subunit vaccine. 
     
     
         14 . A method of effecting antigen cross presentation to induce a humoral immune response and a cellular immune response in a mammal, said method comprising the step of administering an effective amount of a vaccine composition to the mammal, wherein the vaccine composition comprises at least one adjuvant and at least one antigen, and wherein the adjuvant is a cationic lipid. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the humoral immune response is an antibody response. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the cellular immune response is a T cell response. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the T cell response is a CD 8+ T cell response. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the cationic lipid is a non-steroidal cationic lipid. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the cationic lipid is selected from the group consisting of DOTAP, DOTMA, DOEPC, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the adjuvant is an enantiomer of a cationic lipid. 
     
     
         21 - 30 . (canceled)