| WARF: P03252US |  |
| Recombinant Influenza Vectors with a Pol II Promoter and Ribozymes for Vaccines and Gene Therapy |
| INVENTORS | • | Yoshihiro Kawaoka, Stefan Hamm, Hideki Ebihara |
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) is seeking commercial partners interested in developing an improved reverse genetics system for producing influenza virus in vertebrate cells in the absence of helper virus.
OVERVIEW
Recombinant, infectious influenza viruses can be used as vaccine and gene therapy vectors; however, producing influenza virus particles is difficult because the influenza genome consists of negative-sense RNA molecules that cannot directly serve as templates in protein synthesis. Virus production normally requires a helper virus that provides needed structural proteins and polymerases.
THE INVENTION
UW-Madison resarchers have developed an improved reverse genetics system for producing influenza virus in vertebrate cells in the absence of helper virus. The system starts with a set of plasmids containing viral genome cDNAs flanked by ribozymes. Each plasmid carries a cDNA for one of the eight influenza A viral RNA segments. On each plasmid, the cDNA sits between a polymerase II promoter and a poly-A addition signal at the 3-prime end. When the plasmids are transfected into a vertebrate cell, the host cell’s RNA polymerase II transcribes each construct into a capped viral RNA with a proper poly-A tail. The flanking ribozyme RNAs then undergo site-specific, self-catalyzed cleavage to precisely trim each end of the viral RNA. Next, viral polymerase, which is provided by a protein expression plasmid, acts upon the viral RNAs, resulting in replication and mRNA synthesis. This system does not require a helper virus and allows the creation of transfectants with mutations in any gene segment.
APPLICATIONS
- Vaccine production
- Viral mutagenesis studies
- Gene therapy
KEY BENEFITS
- Offers a superior method for producing influenza virus for use in vaccines
- Unlike previous methods using RNA polymerase I, this system allows the production of influenza virus in any vertebrate cell.
- Viral RNAs are generated from cellular RNA polymerase II, eliminating need to provide polymerase in trans.
- Generates a precise 3-prime RNA terminus, which is essential for efficient production of virus
- Results in increased viral production as compared to current methods
- Allows easy manipulation of influenza viruses, such as through the introduction of attenuating mutations into the viral genome
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For More Information About the Inventors
Related Technologies
Intellectual Property Status
Tech Fields
Drug Discovery - Drug production & design
Drug Discovery - Gene therapy
Pharmaceuticals & Vitamin D - Vaccines
CONTACT INFORMATION
For current licensing status, please contact our team at
licensing@warf.org
or phone 608.262.4924. (Clicking this link will open a contact form in a popup window. If you have problems viewing the form, try disabling your popup blocker software.)
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Since its founding as the patenting and licensing arm of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, WARF has been working with business and industry to transform university research into products that benefit society. WARF intellectual property managers and licensing staff members are leaders in the field of university-based technology transfer. They are familiar with the intricacies of patenting, have worked with researchers in relevant disciplines, understand industries and markets, and have negotiated innovative licensing strategies to meet the individual needs of business clients.
The University of Wisconsin and WARF -
A Single Location to Accelerate Translational Development of New Drugs
The UW-Madison has the integrative capabilities to complete many key components of the drug development cycle, from discovery through clinical trials. As one of the top research universities in the world, and one of the two best-funded universities in the country, UW-Madison offers state-of-the-art facilities unmatched by most public universities.
These include the Small Molecule Screening Facility at the UW Comprehensive Cancer Center; the Zeeh Pharmaceutical Experiment Station, which provides consulting and laboratory services for developing formulations and studying solubility, stability and more; the Waisman Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility; the Wisconsin Institute for Medical Research, which provides UW-Madison with a complete translational research facility; and soon, the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, made up of innovative private and public interdisciplinary biomedical research institutes. The highly qualified experts at these facilities are ready to work with you to create a library of candidates for drug development.
Since its founding as the patenting and licensing arm of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, WARF has been working with business and industry to transform university research into products that benefit society. WARF intellectual property managers and licensing staff members are leaders in the field of university-based technology transfer. They are familiar with the intricacies of patenting, have worked with researchers in relevant disciplines, understand industries and markets, and have negotiated innovative licensing strategies to meet the individual needs of business clients.
The University of Wisconsin and WARF -
A Single Location to Accelerate Translational Development of New Drugs
The UW-Madison has the integrative capabilities to complete many key components of the drug development cycle, from discovery through clinical trials. As one of the top research universities in the world, and one of the two best-funded universities in the country, UW-Madison offers state-of-the-art facilities unmatched by most public universities.
These include the Small Molecule Screening Facility at the UW Comprehensive Cancer Center; the Zeeh Pharmaceutical Experiment Station, which provides consulting and laboratory services for developing formulations and studying solubility, stability and more; the Waisman Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility; the Wisconsin Institute for Medical Research, which provides UW-Madison with a complete translational research facility; and soon, the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, made up of innovative private and public interdisciplinary biomedical research institutes. The highly qualified experts at these facilities are ready to work with you to create a library of candidates for drug development.
