Patent ID: 7556940

Claim:
A method of production of influenza virus-like particles (VLPs), said method consisting of the steps of: (i) constructing a recombinant DNA molecule which in terms of influenza virus proteins encodes only the influenza virus matrix structural protein (M1); (ii) constructing one or more recombinant DNA molecules which each encode at least one of but no more than all of the influenza virus structural proteins selected from the group consisting of hemagglutinin (HA), neuraminidase (NA) and the spliced product of M1 mRNA (M2); (iii) transfecting, infecting or otherwise transforming a suitable host cell with said recombinant DNA molecules referred to under (i) and with the recombinant DNA molecules referred to under (ii), culturing the host cell under conditions which permit the expression of said influenza virus structural proteins, so that VLPs are assembled within the cells after expression of the influenza virus structural proteins; and (iv) purifying the VLPs from the culture supernatant.