Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Zur F&#xf6;rderung Der Wissenschaften E. V.

Technische Universitát Dresden

Heinrich-Pette-Institut Leibniz-Institut Für Experimentelle Virologie-Stiftung Bürgerlichen Rechts

Heinrich-Pette-Institut Für Experimentelle Virologie Und Immunologie an Der Universität Hamburg

Heinrich-Pette-Institut, Leibniz-Institut Fur Experimentelle Virologie

Joachim Hauber

Frank Buchholz

Jan Chemnitz

Janet Chusainow

Janet Karpinski

Ilona Hauber

Francis A Stewart

Indrani Sarkar

The present invention relates to a method for preparing an expression vector encoding a tailored recombinase, which tailored recombinase is capable of recombining asymmetric target sequences within the long terminal repeat (LTR) of proviral DNA of a plurality of retrovirus strains inserted into the genome of a host cell, as well as to the obtained expression vector, cells transfected with this, expressed recombinase and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the expression vector, cells and/or recombinase. Pharmaceutical compositions are useful, e.g., in treatment and/or prevention of retrovirus infection. In particular, asymmetric target sequences present in a plurality of HIV strains are disclosed, as well as tailored recombinases capable of combining these sequences (Tre 3.0 and 4.0) and expression vectors encoding them.

Tailored recombinase for recombining asymmetric target sites in a plurality of retrovirus strains

The present invention relates to a method for preparing an expression vector encoding a well-tolerated and highly specific tailored recombinase, which tailored recombinase is capable of recombining asymmetric target sequences within the long terminal repeat (LTR) of proviral DNA of a plurality of retrovirus strains which may be inserted into the genome of a host cell, as well as to the obtained expression vector, cells transfected with these, expressed recombinase and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the expression vector, cells and/or recombinase. Pharmaceutical compositions are useful, e.g., in treatment and/or prevention of retrovirus infection, in particular, HIV infection. In particular, the invention relates to well-tolerated and highly specific tailored recombinases capable of combining asymmetric target sequences in a more than 90% of HIV-strains, thereby excising the HIV-1 sequences, and expression vectors encoding them.

Well-tolerated and highly specific tailored recombinase for recombining asymmetric target sites in a plurality of retrovirus strains

The present invention is directed to a method for preparing an expression vector encoding a tailored recombinase, wherein said tailored recombinase recombines asymmetric target sites within the LTR of proviral DNA of a retrovirus inserted into the genome of a host cell and is useful as means for excising the provirus from the genome of the host cell. The present invention further relates to an in vitro-method of optimising the treatment of a retroviral infection of a subject and to the use of tailored recombinases for the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions for reducing the viral load in a subjected infected by a retrovirus.

Use of tailored recombinases for the treatment of retroviral infections

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Hamburg, Germany

Joachim Hauber