Filarial nematode vaccines, polypeptides, and nucleic acids

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10919944-B2
Application number	US-201815974290-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2018
Priority date	Feb 11, 2014
Publication date	Feb 16, 2021
Grant date	Feb 16, 2021

Abstract

The present invention relates to vaccines comprising a ShK domain of a filarial nematode protein. These vaccines may be used for the prevention and/or treatment of filarial nematode infections. The invention also relates to novel proteins comprising a ShK domain of a filarial nematode protein and pharmaceutical compositions. The invention may be used for the prevention and/or treatment of filarial nematode infections in canine subjects, and also in human subjects.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A polypeptide comprising:
at least one ShK domain of L. sigmoidontis protein nLs_04059 according to SEQ ID NO:1; and/or
at least one polypeptide sharing at least 70 percent identity with said at least one ShK domain, wherein the at least one polypeptide retains 6 cysteine residues with characteristic spacing of an ShK domain;
wherein the polypeptide is artificial.

2. The polypeptide according to claim 1 , wherein the polypeptide is a chimeric polypeptide.

3. The polypeptide according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one polypeptide sharing at least 70 percent identity with said ShK domain is from a filarial nematode selected from group consisting of: L. sigmodontis, D. immitis, Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, Brugia timori, Onchocerca volvulus, Loa loa.

4. A nucleic acid molecule, comprising:
at least one nucleic acid sequence encoding at least one polypeptide comprising at least one ShK domain of L. sigmoidontis protein nLs_04059 according to SEQ ID NO:1; and/or
at least one nucleic acid encoding at least one polypeptide sharing at least 70 percent identity with said at least one Shk domain wherein the at least one polypeptide retains 6 cysteine residues with characteristic spacing of an ShK domain;
wherein the nucleic acid molecule is artificial.

5. An expression vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule according to claim 4 , optionally wherein said expression vector is for expression in E. coli.

6. The nucleic acid according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one polypeptide sharing at least 70 percent identity with said at least one ShK domain is from a filarial nematode selected from group consisting of: L. sigmodontis, D. immitis, Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, Brugia timori, Onchocerca volvulus, Loa loa.

7. A method of treating or preventing a filarial nematode infection, comprising the steps of:
providing to a subject a therapeutically effective amount of at least one polypeptide comprising at least one ShK domain of L. sigmoidontis protein nLs_04059 according to SEQ ID NO:1 and/or at least one polypeptide sharing at least 70 percent identity with at least one Shk domain wherein the at least one polypeptide retains 6 cysteine residues with characteristic spacing of an ShK domain.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the subject is a human or an animal.

9. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the filarial nematode infection includes a disease selected from the group consisting of: lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, and loiasis.

10. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the subject is an animal and the filarial nematode infection is heartworm.

11. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one polypeptide sharing at least 70 percent identity with at least one Shk domain of a filarial nematode protein is from a filarial nematode selected from a group consisting of: L. sigmodontis, D. immitis, Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, Brugia timori, Onchocerca volvulus , and Loa loa.

12. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one ShK domain and/or the at least one polypeptide sharing at least 70 percent identity with said at least one Shk domain is formulated as a pharmaceutical composition.

13. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising the step of:
administering a nucleic acid molecule encoding the therapeutically effective amount of the at least one polypeptide.

14. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one polypeptide comprises a plurality of the same or different ShK domains.

15. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one polypeptide is a chimeric polypeptide, optionally wherein the at least one polypeptide further comprises an artificial spacer separating the ShK domains.

16. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one polypeptide further comprises an additional vaccine antigen.

Assignees

• Univ Liverpool
• Univ Edinburgh

Inventors

• Makepeace Ben
• Taylor David
• Babayan Simon
• Armstrong Stuart
• Blaxter Mark

Classifications

• A61K39/00

  Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies (materials for immunoassay G01N33/53) · CPC title

• C07K2319/00

  Fusion polypeptide · CPC title

• A61K39/0003

  Invertebrate antigens · CPC title

• C07K14/4354 Primary

  from nematodes · CPC title

• A61K45/06

  Mixtures of active ingredients without chemical characterisation, e.g. antiphlogistics and cardiaca · CPC title