Eniricerche S.p.a.

E.n.i. Ente Nazionale Incorporated

Adriano Bernardi

Antonio S Verdini

Antonello Pessi

Carlo A Nuzzolo

Fabio Bonelli

Giancarlo Sodini

Marco Canella

Daniele Marghinotti

Carlo Antonio Nuzzolo

Antonio Silvio Verdini

An ELISA method with competitive inhibition is described for determining antisporozoite antibodies of P. Falciparum in human blood samples and in mosquito extract, which uses a single plate pretreated with only the synthetic antigen (NANP).sub.20 using, as total competitive inhibitor for the formation of the complex between the synthetic antigen adsorbed on the plate and the antibody contained in the sample, the (NANP).sub.20 synthetic peptide in a weight ratio of at least 20:1 with respect to the adsorbed antigen. Because of its high specificity, sensitivity and speed, the method is particularly suitable for epidemiological studies on malaria.

Immunoenzymatic single-plate ELISA method with competitive inhibition

Polypeptide useful for the preparation of antimalarial vaccines and of diagnostic kits for the detection of antisporozoite antibodies in clinical samples of malariated persons, constituted by: a synthetic peptide, which repeates the region I of P. falciparum and by a variable number of repetitive tetrapeptide units of CS protein of P. falciparum linked to each other by an amidic bond between the tail proline of I region and the head asparagine of the first tetrapeptide.

Polypeptide useful for the preparation of antimalarial vaccines and of

An immunoenzymatic method for the detection of anti-Plasmodium falciparum-sporozoite antibodies in a sample of human blood, which operates, in homogeneous phase, and under suitable conditions, with a synthetic polypeptidic antigen (P), a synthetic antigen-enzyme (P-E) conjugate, wherein said antigen is capable of specifically reacting with the anti-Plasmodium falciparum-sporozoite antibodies (Ab) possibly present in the sample, and an inert substance capable of quantitatively precipitating the antibody-synthetic antigen-enzyme complex (Ab-P-E). The method, due to its specificity, sensitivity, reproducibility and rapidity, is particularly useful in the epidemiological investigations into malaria and in the evaluation of the efficacy of an antimalarial vaccine.

Immunoenzymatic method in homogeneous phase for the determination of

An immunoenzimatic method is disclosed for the detection and the measurement of anti-P. falciparum sporzoite antibodies in human blood and/or in its derivatives, which operates with a synthetic antigen-enzyme conjugate capable of forming with the antisporozoite antibodies a stable antibody-synthetic antigen-enzyme complex, and one or more proteins absorbed and/or covalently linked to a solid support, which eagerly bind the antisporozoite antibody of said complex. The method, thanks to its simpleness, specificity and rapidity, is particularly useful in epidemiologic investigations into malaria and into the efficacy of an antimalarial vaccine.

Method for the determination of anti-P. falciparum sporozoite antibodies

Immunologically active polypeptides constituted, towards the N-terminated end, by an Asn-Val-Asp-Pro-Asn-Ala-Asn-Pro sequence repeated three times and, towards the C-terminated end, by at least three quadruplets with an Asn-Ala-Asn-Pro sequence, linked with each other by means of an amidic bond between the end proline of the first sequence, and the initial asparagine of the first quadruplet. Said polypeptides reproduce nearly exactly the sequential structure of the circumsporozoite protein of P. falciparum, and are useful for the preparation of antimalarial vaccines and of diagnostic kits for the detection of antisporozoite antibodies in clinical samples of malariated persons.

Immunologically active polypeptides useful for the preparation of

A new protein product, namely fermented sunflower meal, prepared by the lactic fermentation of de-oiled meal originating from sunflower seeds, and characterized, in comparison with the starting material, by better chemical, physical and nutritional properties, such as increased protein solubility, a lower level of chlorogenic acid, the phenolic pigment responsible for darkening the meal, the absence of fermentable sugars (raffinose), and a higher content of lysin, the main limiting amino acid of the sunflower. The lactic fermentation, which is not spontaneous for sunflower meal in water, as in the case of various cereals, is developed by suitably acidifying an aqueous suspension of meal and allowing it to incubate for some days.

Growing community of inventors

Monterotondo, Italy

Adriano Bernardi