The present application relates to novel administration regimens for poxviral vectors comprising nucleic acid constructs encoding antigenic proteins and invariant chains. In particular the use of said poxviral vectors for priming or for boosting an immune response is disclosed.

The present application relates to novel administration regimens for poxviral vectors comprising nucleic acid constructs encoding antigenic proteins and invariant chains. In particular the use of said poxviral vectors for priming or for boosting an immune response is disclosed.

The present invention discloses a method for the treatment of Flaviviridae infection that includes the administration of a 2-branched nucleoside, or a pharmaceutically acceptable prodrug and/or salt thereof, to a human in need of therapy in combination or alternation with a drug that directly or indirectly induces a mutation in the viral genome at a location other than a mutation of a nucleotide that results in a change from serine to a different amino acid in the highly conserved consensus sequence, XRXSGXXXT (SEQ ID NO: 63), of domain B of the RNA polymerase region, or is associated with such a mutation. The invention also includes a method to detect a mutant strain of Flaviviridae and a method for its treatment.

Disclosed herein are methods of producing glyco-modified viral antigens that provide a shift of the glycosylation profile of recombinant produced viral antigens (e.g. glycoproteins) towards the naturally occurring viral antigens (e.g. glycoproteins). Disclosed are methods of producing a modified viral antigen comprising expressing a viral antigen in a recombinant mammalian cell line having one or more of the endogenous genes Mgat2, Mgat4A, Mgat4B, Mgat5, St3Gal3, St3Gal4, B4galt1, B4galt2, B4galt3, B4galt4, B4galt5, B3gnt2, St3Gal6, SPPL3, and/or FUT8 inactivated and/or downregulated; and optionally a gene ST6Gall inserted. Disclosed are glyco-modified viral antigens produced by the method of using a recombinant mammalian cell line. Disclosed are methods of treating a subject in need thereof comprising administering a composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of one or more of the glyco-modified viral antigens. Disclosed are methods of screening for an antibody specific to one or more of the disclosed glyco-modified viral antigens.

Nonlamellar bioresorbable microparticles to which protein substances are bonded, and a method for preparing the microparticles, comprising: (i) preparing the microparticles from at least one bioresorbable polymer without stabilizer and without surfactant; and (ii) bonding the protein substances to the microparticles obtained in step (i) without surfactant.

A method of preparing extracellularly assembled higher order antigen from a native lower order antigen the method comprising the following steps: (i) contacting lower order antigen with a solution comprising a reducing agent for a time and under 5 conditions sufficient to reduce one or more native cysteines; and (ii) removing or diluting the reducing agent or contacting the reduced lower order antigen with an oxidising agent, to elicit assembly of lower order antigen from (i) into an assembled higher order antigen; wherein at least 10% of the lower order antigen is converted to higher order antigen in step (ii) and whereby the assembled higher order antigen 10 displays at least reduced binding to non-neutralizing antibodies compared to the lower order antigen and retains binding to at least one neutralizing antibody. A method of producing a vaccine composition comprising following the steps of the method and then mixing the assembled higher order antigen with a pharmaceutically or physiologically acceptable diluent, carrier or adjuvant. A composition comprising a 15 higher order extracellularly assembled antigen, wherein the assembled antigen displays at least reduced binding to a non-neutralizing antibody compared to a native control higher order antigen. Use of the assembled higher order antigen to stimulate an immune response or for the detection and/or isolation of an immune cell such as a B-cell specific for the antigen.

Modified hepatitis C virus polypeptides are described. The polypeptides include the HCV NS4a domain and modified NS3 domain. The polypeptides retain conformational epitopes. HCV immunoassays including the polypeptides are also described.

The present invention relates to enveloped RNA viruses. The invention in particular relates to the generation of superior antigens for mounting an immune response by first identifying then mutating the immunosuppressive domains in fusion proteins of enveloped RNA viruses resulting in decreased immunosuppressive properties of viral envelope proteins from the viruses.

Methods for the rapid detection of the presence or absence of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in a biological or non-biological sample are described. The methods can include performing an amplifying step, a hybridizing step, and a detecting step. Furthermore, primers and probes targeting HCV and kits are provided that are designed for the detection of HCV.

The invention relates to a method of in-vitro detection of an infection with a hepatitis C virus (HCV) in a biological sample, comprising the simultaneous detection of the HCV capsid protein and of an antibody directed against said capsid protein, said method using, for capturing the anti-capsid antibodies, a peptide comprising an antigenic fragment derived from the truncated HCV capsid. The invention also relates to the peptide for capturing the anti-capsid antibodies and the kits comprising it.