Instituto Di Ricerche Di Biologia Molecolare P. Angeletti

Istituto Di Ricerche Di Biologia Molecolare P. Angeletti Spa

Istituto Di Richerche Di Biologia Molecolare P. Angeletti S.p.a.

Istituto Di Recerche Di Biologia Moleculare P. Angeletti S.p.a.

Istituto Di Recerche Di Biologia Molecolare P. Angeletti S.p.a.

Paolo Monaci

Riccardo Cortese

Alfredo Nicosia

Alessandra Luzzago

Maurizio Nuzzo

Franco Felici

Gennaro Ciliberto

Armin Lahm

Nicola La Monica

Laura Fontana

Pasquale Gallo

Synthetic polynucleotides encoding human HER2/neu or a truncated form thereof, are provided, the synthetic polynucleotides being codon-optimized for expression in a human cellular environment. The gene encoding hHER2 is commonly associated with the development of human carcinomas. The present invention provides compositions and methods to elicit or enhance immunity to the protein product expressed by the hHER2 tumor-associated antigen, wherein aberrant hHER2 expression is associated with a carcinoma or its development. This invention specifically provides adenoviral vector and plasmid constructs carrying codon-optimized human HER2 and codon-optimized truncated HER2, and discloses their use in vaccines and pharmaceutical compositions for preventing and treating cancer.

Synthetic gene encoding human epidermal growth factor 2/neu antigen and uses thereof

Recombinant adenoviruses comprising modified fiber proteins which expand the tropism of the adenovirus in comparison to wild-type virus are disclosed. The modified fiber proteins described herein contain a peptide ligand for a cell surface binding site other than CAR comprising a 14 amino acid core sequence containing both fixed and variable amino acid residues. The invention includes isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding the modified adenovirus fiber proteins disclosed, as well as recombinant vectors and host cells containing said nucleic acid molecules. Methods of identifying peptide ligands that bind to cell binding sites other than CAR are included comprising screening a phage-display library of peptide ligands expressed within an adenovirus fiber knob context on CAR-negative cells. Recombinant adenoviruses of the present invention will increase the ability of an adenovirus to transduce important cell and tissue targets as part of a gene therapy/gene vaccination regime that have been shown to be refractory to adenoviral infection.

Recombinant modified adenovirus fiber protein

Polynucleotides encoding rhesus monkey HER2/neu have been isolated, cloned and sequenced. The gene encoding the HER2/neu is commonly associated with the development of epithelial-derived human carcinomas. The present invention provides compositions and methods to elicit or enhance immunity to the protein product expressed by the HER2/neu tumor-associated antigen, wherein aberrant HER2/neu expression is associated with a carcinoma or its development. This invention specifically provides adenoviral vector constructs carrying rhHER2/neu and discloses their use in vaccines and pharmaceutical compositions for preventing and treating cancer.

Rhesus HER2/neu, nucleotides encoding same, and uses thereof

A process for the preparation of immunogens or diagnostic reagents that mimic an antigen or a pathogenic organism specific to a disease, essentially characterized by the following operations: identification of at least one antibody that reacts with the antigen or pathogenic organism specific to the disease; construction of phage libraries which display on the surface of the capsid oligopeptides, expressed from random sequence oligonucleotidic inserts introduced into a gene coding for a phage capsid protein using genetic manipulation techniques (for example, using a plasmid engineered for the purposes of the invention, the genetic map of which is shown in the figure); selection of the phages that display on the surfaces of the capsid antigenic oligopeptides recognized by said antibody; optional use of the selected phages and/or fragments thereof and/or their derivatives for the formulation of diagnostic kits for the specific pathogenic agent, or in general for the disease, including immunological disorders typical of so-called autoimmune diseases, with known or unknown etiology and/or pathogenesis; optional use of the selected phages and/or fragments thereof and/or their derivatives to induce a tolerance of the phenomena of hypersensitivity and/or allergy to compounds and/or natural or synthetic preparations; optional immunization of an organism by means of the selected phages and/or fragments thereof and/or their derivatives; and optional verification of the presence, in the serum of the immunized organism, of antibodies that recognize the above antigen or organism specific to the disease.

Process for the preparation of immunogens or diagnostic reagents, and immunogens or diagnostic reagents thereby obtainable

The present invention refers to a method that allows the use of filamentous bacteriophages to detect the presence of molecules of interest in biological samples. It consists of a series of combined operations, which are drawn up and defined according to the characteristics of the phages employed. These have, exposed on the surfaces of the capsid, at least one molecule, generally but not exclusively of proteic nature, capable of binding at least one molecule of interest present in the biological sample. Detection of the presence of the molecule takes place, according to the method of the invention, using the association between the molecule exposed on the surfaces of the phage and the genome of the phage itself. The ability to form specific complexes typical of the molecule exposed on the capsid enables formation of phage-molecule of interest complexes, which can be detected by means of amplification of known sequences in the phage DNA. The method according to the invention is extremely sensitive and can be used in particular for diagnostic and prognostic purposes.

Method based on the use of bacteriophages for the detection biological molecules in biological samples

Process for the preparation of immunogens or diagnostic reagents, and

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Rome, Italy

Paolo Monaci