Vical Incorporated

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Epimmune Inc.

Gary G Hermanson

Andrew John Geall

Mary Kopke Wloch

Alessandro D Sette

Robert W Chesnut

Brian D Livingston

Glen A Evans

John D Fikes

Licia Selleri

Glenn Y Ishioka

The invention is related to polynucleotide-based cytomegalovirus vaccines. In particular, the invention is plasmids operably encoding HCMV antigens, in which the naturally-occurring coding regions for the HCMV antigens have been modified for improved translation in human or other mammalian cells through codon optimization. HCMV antigens which are useful in the invention include, but are not limited to pp65, glycoprotein B (gB), IE1, and fragments, variants or derivatives of either of these antigens. In certain embodiments, sequences have been deleted, e.g., the Arg435-Lys438 putative kinase in pp65 and the membrane anchor and endocellular domains in gB. The invention is further directed to methods to induce an immune response to HCMV in a mammal, for example, a human, comprising delivering a plasmid encoding a codon-optimized HCMV antigen as described above. The invention is also directed to pharmaceutical compositions comprising plasmids encoding a codon-optimized HCMV antigen as described above, and further comprising adjuvants, excipients, or immune modulators.

Codon-optimized polynucleotide-based vaccines against human cytomegalovirus infection

The invention relates to plasmids operably encoding HCMV antigens, in which the naturally-occurring coding regions for the HCMV antigens have been modified for improved translation in human or other mammalian cells through codon optimization. HCMV antigens, which are useful in the invention include, but are not limited to pp65, glycoprotein B (gB), IE1, and fragments, variants or derivatives of any of these antigens. In certain embodiments, sequences have been deleted, e.g., the Arg435-Lys438 putative kinase in pp65 and the membrane anchor and endocellular domains in gB. The invention is further directed to methods of inducing an immune response to HCMV in a mammal, for example, a human, comprising delivering a plasmid encoding a codon-optimized HCMV antigen as described above. The invention is also directed to pharmaceutical compositions comprising plasmids encoding a codon-optimized HCMV antigen as described above, and further comprising adjuvants, excipients, or immune modulators.

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The present invention relates to nucleic acid vaccines encoding multiple CTL and HTL epitopes and MHC targeting sequences.

Expression vectors for stimulating an immune response and methods of using the same

Methods for identifying the existence, and optionally the location, of chromosomal aberration(s) in the genome of an organism are disclosed. Intact, chromosomal DNA is hybridized with one or more clones constructed from chromosomal DNA derived from an organism of the same species as the organism to be tested. By identifying the existence of a chromosomal aberration, the susceptibility of an individual to certain disease states can be predicted, and/or the nature of a given disease state can be ascertained with greater certainty.

Analytical methods and probes for the identification of chromosomal

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Encinitas, CA, United States of America

Gary G Hermanson