Inventors:
Jay W. Hooper - New Market MD, US
Joseph W. Golden - Hagerstown MD, US
Assignee:
The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Army - Washington DC
International Classification:
C12N 15/00
Abstract:
The invention described here encompasses DNA and protein vaccines against poxviruses, and relevant immunogenic compositions, comprising at a minimum a nucleic acid encoding a modified full-length poxvirus L1R gene or its ortholog. The L1R gene is modified so that an endoplasmic reticulum-targeting sequence is operably linked on the 5′ end. Preferably the nucleic acid sequences for other poxviruses antigens are also included, such as A33R, B5R and/or A27L. These vaccines and compositions provide improved neutralizing antibody response elicited by molecular poxvirus vaccines, over known vaccines using unmodified L1R.