Provided is an immunostimulatory composition, comprising a saponin and a CpG oligodeoxynucleotide, or consisting of an adjuvant comprising a saponin and a CpG oligodeoxynucleotide, wherein the sequence of the CpG oligodeoxynucleotide has two or more copies of 5′-TTCGTT-3′ motif or 5′-TCGTCGTCG-3′ motif. Also provided is use of the immunostimulatory composition in the preparation of a medication for treating diseases.

The invention provides methods and kits for inducing a therapeutic immunity in animals (e.g. mammals) against viral antigens, including herpes-simplex virus type 2. In particular, the invention provides a method of treating animals with an established HSV-2 infection by administering a therapeutic vaccine comprising a priming dose of a nucleic acid encoding an HSV-2 antigen, an initial or first boosting dose comprising the protein form of the antigen encapsulated in liposomes, and one or more subsequent boosting doses comprising both the nucleic acid encoding the HSV-2 antigen and the liposomal-encapsulated protein antigen.

The present invention is directed to novel promiscuous and artificial T helper cell epitopes (Th epitopes) designed to provide optimum immunogenicity of a target antigenic site. The target antigenic site can include a B cell epitope, a CTL epitope, a peptide hapten, a non-peptide hapten, or any immunologically reactive analogue thereof. The disclosed Th epitopes, when covalently linked to a target antigenic site in a peptide immunogen construct, elicit a strong B cell antibody response or an effector T cell response to the target antigenic site. The Th epitopes are immunosilent on their own, i.e., little, if any, of the antibodies generated by the peptide immunogen constructs will be directed towards the Th epitope, thus allowing a very focused immune response directed to the targeted antigenic site. The promiscuous artificial Th epitopes provide effective and safe peptide immunogens that do not generate inflammatory, anti-self, cell-mediated immune responses following administration.

The present invention relates to the construction and application of a fusion protein vaccine platform. The present invention provides a vaccine, comprising a fusion protein containing an interferon-target antigen-immunoglobulin Fc region (or antibody) and a Th cell helper epitope. The present invention also relates to use of a fusion protein containing an interferon-target antigen-immunoglobulin Fc region (or antibody) and a Th cell helper epitope in the preparation of prophylactic or therapeutic compositions. The vaccine of the present invention can be produced by eukaryotic cell expression systems to prepare wild-type and various mutant antigen vaccines, and vaccination by means of subcutaneous/muscular or nasal or other routes can lead to a strong immune response to a body. The vaccine of the present invention can be used as a prophylactic or therapeutic vaccine.

The present invention relates to a vaccine composition comprising an effective amount of a replication-competent controlled recombinant virus. Further encompassed are uses in immunization and methods of immunization employing compositions comprising a replication-competent controlled recombinant virus of the invention.

Provided are antigenic compositions and uses thereof that include at least two human herpesvirus (HHV) polypeptides involved in mediating HHV binding, fusion, and entry into host cells, such as gp350, gH, gL, and gB, or nucleic acids encoding the polypeptides. The two HHV polypeptides comprise any combination of: a gB polypeptide; a gp350 polypeptide; a gL polypeptide; and a gH polypeptide, and optionally any one or more of the following polypeptides: gp42, gM, gN, gl, gC, gE, gD, ORF68, BMRF-2, BDLF2, UL128, UL130, UL131A, and gpK8.1. Also disclosed are methods of inducing an immune response or treating or preventing an HHV infection in a subject by administering to the subject at least two of the HHV polypeptides or nucleic acid(s) encoding the same. Methods of passively transferring immunity using high-titer anti-HHV antibodies or immune cells are also disclosed.

The present invention generally relates to the field of herpesviruses and herpesvirus proteins that can be used for the production of antibodies or therapeutic agents, such as vaccines. More specifically, the present invention relates to a modified herpesvirus glycoprotein B that comprises one or more mutations at defined positions in the primary structure of the protein which retain a stable prefusion conformation which is highly advantageous for the production of antibodies or therapeutic agents, such as vaccines. The invention further relates to nucleic acid molecules which encode such a modified herpesvirus glycoprotein B. The invention further provides methods for producing antibodies or therapeutic agents, such as vaccines, which make use of the modified herpesvirus glycoprotein B or a nucleic acid molecule encoding it. Kits comprising the modified herpesvirus glycoprotein B are provided as well. Finally, the invention also relates to the use of the modified herpesvirus glycoprotein B or a nucleic acid molecule encoding same for drug screening.

Provided herein are compositions and methods for vaccination and research applications. In particular, provided herein are non-neuroinvasive herpesviruses and alpha herpesviruses and uses thereof.

Chimeric protein constructs including a herpesvirus glycoprotein D (gD) and a heterologous polypeptide that interact with herpes virus entry mediator (HVEM) and enhance and enhance an immune response against the heterologous polypeptide and methods for their use are provided.

The present invention provides herpesviruses, such as EBV, which lack at least one viral miRNA. Such herpesviruses lacking at least one viral miRNA are advantageously not capable of packaging their genome into the capsid, thereby producing HVLPs, which are substantially free of their herpesvirus genome or the nucleic acid molecule encoding the proteinaceous part of the HVLP and viral miRNA. Such HVLPs may be used as vaccine.