Patent ID: 6190666
Filing Date: 2001-02-20
Classification: A61K,C07K,C12N

Abstract:
A recombinant RNA molecule which can be efficiently translated and replicated in an animal host cell, comprising an alphavirus RNA genome and an exogenous RNA sequence, wherein said alphavirus RNA genome contains at least one deletion or stop codon mutation such that at least one structural protein of the alphavirus cannot be made upon introduction of said recombinant RNA into said host cell, and further wherein said exogenous RNA sequence is operatively inserted into a region of the alphavirus RNA genome which is non-essential to replication of the recombinant RNA molecule such that the exogenous RNA is expressed from an alphavirus transcriptional promoter when the recombinant RNA is introduced into a host cell and further such that the exogenous RNA expresses its biological function in said host cell.