Patent ID: 6942866
Filing Date: 2005-09-13
Classification: A61K,A61P,C07K,C12N,Y02A

Abstract:
1. A recombinant hepatitis B virus core (HBc) protein chimer molecule with a length of about 140 to about 310 amino acid residues that contains four peptide-linked amino acid residue sequence domains from the N-terminus that are denominated Domains I, II, III and IV, wherein (a) Domain I comprises (i) the sequence from position 1 through position 75 of HBc, or (ii) a sequence of about 85 amino acids comprising a sequence heterologous to HBc peptide-bonded to one of the first five N-terminal residues of HBc, and including at least the sequence of the residues of position 5 through position 75 of HBc. (b) Domain II comprises about 18 to about 58 amino acid residues peptide-bonded to residue 75 of HBc, including (i) the sequence of positions 76 through 85 of HBc, and (ii) a sequence of 8 to about 48 residues that constitute a B cell epitope of the circumsporozoite (CS) protein of the parasite (c) Domain III is an HBc sequence from position 86 through position 135 peptide-bonded to residue 85; and (d) Domain IV comprises a sequence of HBC from residue 136 through 140 peptide-bonded to the residue of position 135 of Domain III and (i) zero to nine residues of a HBc amino acid residue sequence from position 141 through 149, (ii) zero to three cysteine residue, (iii) fewer than three arginine or lysine residue, or mixtures thereof adjacent to each other, and (iv) up to 100 amino acid residues in a sequence heterologous to HBc from position 150 to the C-terminus, with the proviso that at least five amino acid residue are present of the amino acid residue sequence from position 136 through 149, when (a) zero cysteine residues are present and (b) fewer than about five heterologous amino acid residues are present, and wherein no more than 10 percent of the HBc amino acid residues are substituted as compared to SEQ ID NO:170 from position 1 through 149.