Download Live Attenuated Bacteria for Use in a Vaccine

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Live Attenuated Bacteria for Use in a Vaccine
Description of Invention: The present invention relates to live attenuated bacteria for use as a
medicament. The invention also relates to vaccines based thereon that are useful for the prevention of
microbial pathogenesis. Further, the invention relates to live attenuated recombinant bacteria carrying a
heterologous gene and vaccines based thereon. Finally, the invention relates to methods for the preparation
of such vaccines and bacteria.
Potential Areas of Application:
1) Such bacteria could unexpectedly be advantageously used in the field of preparation of medicaments,
more specifically for the preparation of live attenuated vaccines.
Main Advantages of Invention:
1) It was now surprisingly found that a gene encoding a protein known to play a role in the central
carbohydrate metabolism in many bacterial genera can be deleted, causing attenuated behaviour in
vivo without impairing the viability of such bacteria in vivo. Bacteria from which this gene is deleted do
unexpectedly show an attenuated character. Moreover, since the encoded protein plays no role in the
induction of immunity, the antigenic load of bacteria from which this gene is deleted, is identical to
that of the wild-type.
2) The gene that according to the present invention can be deleted and leads to an attenuated in vivo
behaviour of the deletion mutants is a gene formerly known as the fruR gene, currently however
called the cra gene. It was known that mutants lacking this gene could be grown in vitro, but only if
the deficiencies due to lack of Cra activity are compensated for in the growth medium. This means
that nutrients on which the Cra-deficient mutant can grow must be present in the growth medium.
Lead Inventor:
Paul Cohen et al, CELS
Status:
US patent application 09/328,859 filed on June 9, 1999 issued as US 6,764,687 on July 20, 2004
Live Attenuated Bacteria USPTO Website Link
Publications (with links):
Category: Biological, Pharmaceutical, Life Sciences
Licensing Status:
Available for licensing
Reference #:2990
Please contact David R. Sadowski or Raymond Walsh - Division of Research & Economic Development, University of Rhode Island,
75 Lower College Rd. Suite 001, Kingston, RI 02881; 401-874-4807 or Fax 401-874-7832
http://www.uri.edu/research/tro/executive/sadowski.html
Rev. 01-14-10