Patent ID: 6342228
Filing Date: 2002-01-29
Classification: A61K,C07K,C12N,C12Q,G01N

Abstract:
A diagnostic kit for detecting the presence of antibodies specifically reactive with antigens of a heterologous antigenic marker in a sample, comprising:(a) a non-infectious, non-replicating immunogenic HIV-like particle, in which said particle contains a heterologous antigenic marker and comprises an assembly of: (i) an env gene product, (ii) a pol gene product, (iii) a gag gene product, and (iv) at least one non-retroviral, non-mammalian heterlogous antigenic marker, wherein said marker, when presented in the context of the HIV-like particle, is capable of generating an immune response to said antigenic marker when the particle is administered to a host, said particle being encoded by a modified HIV retroviral genome deficient in long terminal repeats (LTRs) and containing gag, pol and env in their natural genomic arrangement and a heterlogous nucleic acid insert encoding at least one antigenic marker, and(b) means for contacting said HIV-like particle as antigen with a sample suspected of containing antigenic marker specific antibodies under conditions which permit binding of antibody to antigen and the formation of an antigen-antibody immune complex; and (c) means for detecting production of the immune complex.