An isolated respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) strain is disclosed. Also an immunogenic composition comprising said novel RSV strain is disclosed. Further, the present application is directed to said RSV strain or the immunogenic composition comprising said strain for use in the generation of an immune response against RSV in a subject. Also their use in the diagnosis of an RSV-associated diseases is disclosed.

An object of the present invention is to establish means for providing a component vaccine which can elicit immunity to a non-structural protein. The present inventors have found that the object can be attained by providing a component vaccine containing an associated product containing a trimer and/or a hexamer of a molecular needle to which a non-structural protein of a pathogenic virus is attached.

Immunogenic combinations that include a) an immunogenic component containing a peptide or polypeptide antigen of a respiratory pathogen; and b) an immunogenic component containing a nucleic acid encoding an antigen of the same respiratory pathogen, wherein the immunogenic components are formulated for concurrent administration are provided, as well as methods for making and for administering such immunogenic combinations to elicit an immune response specific for the respiratory pathogen.

The present invention provides a mutant RSV F protein having a mutation, wherein the mutation is a substitution of a leucine corresponding to a leucine at position 141 of an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 or a leucine corresponding to a leucine at position 142 with a cysteine, and a substitution of a leucine corresponding to a leucine at position 373 with a cysteine, and a disulfide bond is formed between the cysteines. Further provided is a mutant RSV F protein having a mutation, wherein the mutation is a substitution of a glutamic acid corresponding to a glutamic acid at position 60 of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 with a non-acidic amino acid.

This invention provides immunogenic compositions comprising an immune stimulant and an respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) oligopeptide or an unglycosylated RSV polypeptide. The RSV oligopeptides are shown in SEQ ID NO: 3-33. The unglycosylated RSV polypeptide may consist essentially of the ectodomain of an RSV G protein, such as that shown in SEQ ID NO: 2 or the ectodomain of an RSV F protein such as the ectodomain of the F protein shown in SEQ ID NO: 39.

The invention relates to pre-fusion RSV F protein and polypeptides that contain one or more amino acid mutations that stabilize the pre-fusion conformation or destabilize the post-fusion conformation. The invention also relates to methods for inducing an immune response to pre-fusion RSV F.

In certain embodiments, the disclosure relates to the polynucleotide sequences of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). In certain embodiments, the disclosure relates to isolated or recombinant nucleic acids and polypeptides comprising desirable nucleic acid sequences and mutations disclosed herein. In certain embodiments, isolated or recombinant RSV comprising the nucleic acids and polypeptides disclosed herein (e.g., attenuated recombinant RSV) are also provided, as are immunogenic compositions including such nucleic acids, polypeptides, and RSV genomes that are suitable for use as vaccines. Attenuated or killed RSV containing these nucleic acids and mutation in the form of copied nucleic acids (e.g., cDNAs) are also contemplated.

Disclosed are compositions and virus-like particles (VLPs) self-assembled from the expression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Gag protein and a fragment of gp41 protein containing its N-terminus ectodomain. The fragment of gp41 protein is linked to an antigen that is not a peptide or protein from HIV, which is presented by HIV VLP. In some aspects, the presented antigen is trimerized. Also disclosed are methods of inducing an immune response against the antigen.

RNA encoding an immunogen is co-delivered to non-immune cells at the site of delivery and also to immune cells which infiltrate the site of delivery. The responses of these two cell types to the same delivered RNA lead to two different effects, which interact to produce a strong immune response against the immunogen. The non-immune cells translate the RNA and express the immunogen. Infiltrating immune cells respond to the RNA by expressing type I interferons and pro-inflammatory cytokines which produce a local adjuvant effect which acts on the immunogen-expressing non-immune cells to upregulate major histocompatibility complex expression, thereby increasing presentation of the translated protein to T cells. The effects on the immune and non-immune cells can be achieved by a single delivery of a single RNA e.g. by a single injection.

The present invention relates to immunogenic compositions comprising RSV F protein, methods for preparing compositions that contain RSV F protein ecto-domain polypeptides, and to certain engineered RSV F proteins and nucleic acids that encode the engineered RSV F proteins. Compositions prepared using the methods can contain RSV F protein ecto-domain polypeptides in a predominant or single desired form and conformation. The invention also relates to methods for inducing an immune response to RSV F.