Immunogenic composition

1. An immunogenic composition comprising Neisseria meningitidis ( N. meningitidis ) capsular polysaccharides from at least two of serogroups A, C, W135 and Y comprising N. meningitidis serogroup C capsular polysaccharide having an average size of above 75 kDa, conjugated to a carrier protein to produce a N. meningitidis capsular polysaccharide conjugate, and microfluidised N. meningitidis serogroup Y (MenY) capsular polysaccharide having an average size of above 120 kDa, conjugated to a carrier protein to produce a N. meningitidis capsular polysaccharide conjugate, wherein the average size of each N. meningitidis polysaccharide is above 50 kDa.

2. The immunogenic composition of claim 1 comprising N. meningitidis capsular polysaccharides from at least one of serogroups A, C, W135 and Y conjugated to a carrier protein to form N. meningitidis conjugates, wherein each N. meningitidis polysaccharide is either a native polysaccharide that has not been reduced in size or is a polysaccharide that has been reduced in size no more than 10-fold relative to the weight average molecular weight of the native polysaccharide.

3. The immunogenic composition of claim 1 wherein at least one N. meningitidis capsular polysaccharide other than MenY is sized by microfluidization.

4. The immunogenic composition of claim 1 wherein each N. meningitidis capsular polysaccharide is sized by a factor of no more than ×10 relative to the weight average molecular weight of the native polysaccharide.

5. The immunogenic composition of claim 1 wherein the N. meningitidis conjugates are made from a mixture of native polysaccharides and polysaccharides that are sized by a factor of no more than ×10 relative to the weight average molecular weight of the native polysaccharide.

6. The immunogenic composition of claim 5 wherein capsular polysaccharides from serogroup Y are sized by a factor of no more than ×10 relative to the weight average molecular weight of the native polysaccharide.

7. The immunogenic composition of claim 5 wherein capsular polysaccharides from serogroups A and C are native and polysaccharides from serogroups W135 and Y are sized by a factor of no more than ×10 relative to the weight average molecular weight of the native polysaccharide.

8. The immunogenic composition of claim 1 comprising a N. meningitidis serogroup A (MenA) capsular polysaccharide having an average size of above 50 kDa, 75 kDa, 100 kDa or an average size of between 50-100 kDa or 55-90 KDa or 60-80 kDa.

9. The immunogenic composition of claim 1 comprising a N. meningitidis serogroup C (MenC) capsular polysaccharide having an average size of above 100 kDa or between 100-200 kDa, 100-150 kDa, 80-120 kDa, 90-110 kDa, 150-200 kDa, 120-240 kDa, 140-220 kDa, 160-200 kDa or 190-200 kDa.

10. The immunogenic composition claim 1 wherein each N. meningitidis capsular polysaccharide is conjugated to a carrier protein independently selected from the group consisting of tetanus toxoid (TT), diphtheria toxoid (DT), cross-reacting material 197 (CRM197), fragment C of tetanus toxoid (TT) and protein D.

11. The immunogenic composition of claim 1 wherein each N. meningitidis capsular polysaccharide is conjugated to the same carrier protein selected from the group consisting of TT, DT, CRM197, fragment C of TT and protein D.

12. The immunogenic composition of claim 1 further comprising a Haemophilus influenzae b ( H. influenzae b) capsular saccharide conjugated to a carrier protein.

13. The immunogenic composition of claim 12 wherein the H. influenzae b capsular saccharide is conjugated to a carrier protein selected from the group consisting of TT, DT, CRM197, fragment C of TT and protein D.

14. The immunogenic composition of claim 12 wherein the same carrier protein is used in the Hib conjugate and two or more of the at least two further bacterial saccharide conjugates.

15. The immunogenic composition of claim 1 comprising a N. meningitidis serogroup B outer membrane vesicle preparation or capsular saccharide.

16. A vaccine comprising the immunogenic composition of claim 1 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

17. A vaccine kit for concomitant or sequential administration comprising two multi-valent immunogenic compositions for conferring protection in a host against disease caused by Bordetella pertussis, Clostridium tetani, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria meningitidis , said kit comprising a first container comprising:

tetanus toxoid (TT),

diphtheria toxoid (DT), and

whole cell or acellular pertussis components

and a second container comprising:

the immunogenic composition of claim 1 .

18. A process for making the vaccine of claim 16 comprising the step of mixing the immunogenic composition of claim 1 with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

19. A method of immunising a human host against disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis infection comprising administering to the host an immunoprotective dose of the immunogenic composition or vaccine of claim 1 or 17 .

20. The method of treating or preventing a disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis comprising administering an immunogenic composition of claim 1 .

21. The immunogenic composition of claim 1 further comprising a N. meningitidis serogroup W135 capsular polysaccharide having an average size ranging from 60-190 kDa.

22. An immunogenic composition, comprising Neisseria meningitidis ( N meningitidis ) capsular polysaccharides conjugated to a carrier protein or carrier proteins, wherein the N. meningitidis capsular polysaccharides of the capsular polysaccharide conjugates are from serogroups C (MenC) and Y (MenY), the MenC capsular polysaccharide of the capsular polysaccharide conjugates having an average size of above 75 kDa and the MenY capsular polysaccharide of the capsular polysaccharide conjugates having an average size ranging from 120 kDa to 140 kDa as measured by microfluidisation.

23. The immunogenic composition of claim 22 , further comprising N. meningitidis capsular polysaccharide conjugates from at least one of serogroups A (MenA) and W135 (MenW135) conjugated to a carrier protein or carrier proteins to form a N. meningitidis capsular polysaccharide conjugate(s), wherein each N. meningitidis polysaccharide is either a native polysaccharide that has not been subjected to a process to reduce the size of the polysaccharide, or is a polysaccharide that has been reduced in size no more than 10-fold relative to the weight average molecular weight of the native polysaccharide, wherein the average size of each N. meningitidis polysaccharide is above 50 kDa.

24. The immunogenic composition of claim 23 , wherein the size of at least one N. meningitidis capsular polysaccharide other than MenY is measured by microfluidisation.

25. The immunogenic composition of claim 23 , wherein each N. meningitidis capsular polysaccharide is reduced in size no more than 10-fold relative to the weight average molecular weight of the native polysaccharide.

26. The immunogenic composition of claim 23 , wherein the N. meningitidis conjugates comprise a mixture of native polysaccharide and capsular polysaccharide that is reduced in size no more than 10-fold relative to the weight average molecular weight of the native polysaccharide.

27. The immunogenic composition of claim 26 , wherein N. meningitidis capsular polysaccharide from serogroup Y is reduced in size no more than 10-fold relative to the weight average molecular weight of the native polysaccharide.

28. The immunogenic composition of claim 26 , further comprising N. meningitidis capsular polysaccharide from both serogroup W135 and from serogroup A, wherein capsular polysaccharides from serogroups A and C are native polysaccharides and polysaccharides from serogroups W135 and Y are reduced in size no more than 10-fold relative to the weight average molecular weight of the native polysaccharide.

29. The immunogenic composition of claim 22 , further comprising a N. meningitidis serogroup A (MenA) capsular polysaccharide having an average size ranging from 60-80 kDa.

30. The immunogenic composition of claim 22 , further comprising a N. meningitidis serogroup W135 capsular polysaccharide having an average size ranging from 60-190 kDa.

31. The immunogenic composition of claim 22 , comprising a N. meningitidis serogroup C (MenC) capsular polysaccharide having an average size ranging from 100-200 kDa.

32. The immunogenic composition claim 22 , wherein each N. meningitidis capsular polysaccharide is conjugated to a carrier protein independently selected from the group consisting of tetanus toxoid (TT), diphtheria toxoid (DT), cross-reacting material 197 (CRM197), fragment C of tetanus toxoid (TT) and protein D.

33. The immunogenic composition of claim 22 , wherein each N. meningitidis capsular polysaccharide is conjugated to the same carrier protein selected from the group consisting of TT, DT, CRM197, fragment C of TT and protein D.

34. The immunogenic composition of claim 22 , further comprising a Haemophilus influenzae b (Hib) capsular polysaccharide conjugated to a carrier protein.

35. The immunogenic composition of claim 34 , wherein the Hib capsular polysaccharide is conjugated to a carrier protein selected from the group consisting of TT, DT, CRM197, fragment C of TT and protein D.

36. The immunogenic composition of claim 34 , wherein the same carrier protein is used in the Hib capsular saccharide conjugate and the at least two further bacterial capsular polysaccharide conjugates.

37. The immunogenic composition of claim 22 , further comprising a N. meningitidis serogroup B outer membrane vesicle preparation.

38. A vaccine comprising the immunogenic composition of claim 22 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

39. A vaccine kit for concomitant or sequential administration comprising two multi-valent immunogenic compositions for conferring protection in a host against disease caused by Bordetella pertussis , Clostridium tetani , Corynebacterium diphtheriae , Haemophilia influenzae and Neisseria meningitidis , said kit comprising a first container comprising:

tetanus toxoid (TT),

diphtheria toxoid (DT), and

whole cell or acellular pertussis components;

and a second container comprising:

the immunogenic composition of claim 33 .