| WARF: P04379US |  |
| Improved Reverse Genetics Method to Produce Influenza Virus |
| INVENTORS | • | Yoshihiro Kawaoka, Gabriele Neumann |
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) is seeking commerical partners interested in improved materials and methods for producing influenza virus for vaccine production.
OVERVIEW
Influenza causes hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide every year. Two of the genes critical for influenza virus infection are haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). HA and NA are on the surface of the virus, and are therefore targets for vaccination. Because classical reassortment methods for producing influenza vaccine are time-consuming and cumbersome, the inventors developed a new method that utilizes “reverse genetics” (see WARF reference number P99264US). For vaccine production, eight plasmids containing the HA and NA genes from circulating or pathogenic influenza strains and six genes from a “harmless” master strain, along with additional plasmids encoding proteins necessary for replication and transcription, are transfected into cell lines. Virus can then be harvested from these cells for the production of inactivated or live attenuated vaccine.
Although this method is faster and more efficient than the classic reassortment method, it requires transfecting cells with 12 plasmids.
THE INVENTION
UW-Madison researchers have developed a set of one to four plasmids that contain all sequences necessary for influenza virus generation. For the efficient production of vaccine, one plasmid might contain cDNAs for the HA and NA genes, while a second plasmid is used for the remaining viral segments. The viral proteins required for influenza virus production are then provided from two additional plasmids. With this approach, only one plasmid (the one encoding HA and NA) has to be updated annually. Using fewer plasmids increases the efficiency of virus production in cell lines that cannot be transfected efficiently. Vaccine viruses can be generated more quickly, which would be especially important in responding to a pandemic.
APPLICATIONS
- Influenza vaccines
KEY BENEFITS
- Reduces the number of plasmids required for transfection from 12 to one to four
- Increases the rescue efficiency of virus from cell lines with low transfection efficiency
- Enables more consistent generation of influenza virus for vaccine production
- Reduces FDA regulatory issues regarding plasmid history, purity and toxicity
- Applicable to any negative sense RNA virus, including members of the Arena and Bunyaviridae families
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For More Information About the Inventors
Related Technologies
Publications
Neumann G., Fujii K., Kino Y. & Kawaoka Y. 2005. An Improved Reverse Genetics System for Influenza A Virus Generation and Its Implications for Vaccine Production. PNAS 102, 16825-16829.
Intellectual Property Status
Tech Fields
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.)
WARF: A Leader in Technology Transfer Since 1925
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.
