Manuel E Engelhorn

US Patent:

20030224392, Dec 4, 2003

Filed:

Jan 28, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/353716

Inventors:

Manuel Engelhorn - New York NY, US
Alan Houghton - New York NY, US
Gabriele Noffz - New York NY, US

International Classification:

C12Q001/68
G01N033/53

US Classification:

435/006000, 435/007100

Abstract:

A method is provided for identifying mutant antigens with enhanced immunogenicity that does not depend on any a priori knowledge of the structure of the native antigen. Antigens identified in this way may be used to induce an immune response to a target antigen in a subject comprising administering to the subject a vaccine composition comprising the mutant antigen corresponding to the target antigen in an amount sufficient to induce an immune response to the target antigen. The target antigen may be a self-antigen.

US Patent:

20030157534, Aug 21, 2003

Filed:

Dec 26, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/331163

Inventors:

Manuel Engelhorn - New York NY, US
Alan Houghton - New York NY, US
Jose Guevara - New York NY, US

International Classification:

C12Q001/68
C07H021/04

US Classification:

435/006000, 536/023100

Abstract:

Therapeutic libraries of minigenes encoding at least one characteristic epitope of a target antigen and degenerate variants of major histocompatability class I restricted epitopes are prepared by constructing a population of minigenes of comparable structure (that is having parallel components at each location in the minigene), each species in the population encoding at least one characteristic epitope of the target antigen and one of a plurality a degenerate variants of an MHC Class I-restricted epitope; screening the population of minigenes in an in vitro or in vivo system to confirm the induction of immunological response against the target antigen; and optionally repeating a screening step on one or more subpopulations of the minigenes to select for immunologically-effective subpopulations, which may comprise as few as a single species of the minigene construct.