Multivalent OspA polypeptides and methods and uses relating thereto

1. A nucleic acid molecule encoding an immunogenic polypeptide comprising a C-terminal domain of an outer surface protein A (OspA) of Borrelia , characterized in that said C-terminal OspA domain comprises at least three specific OspA epitopes each from distinct Borrelia strains causing Lyme Borreliosis; wherein said C-terminal OspA domain is able to induce a protective immune response to all of said distinct Borrelia strains, wherein the C-terminal OspA domain is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 9, SEQ ID NO: 10, SEQ ID NO: 12, SEQ ID NO: 13, and immunogenic variants thereof that have at least 95% sequence identity with any one of SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO: 10, SEQ ID NO: 12, or SEQ ID NO: 13, and wherein a three-dimensional structure of the C-terminal OspA domain is stabilized by introduction of at least two cysteine residues that form a disulfide bond.

2. The nucleic acid molecule according to claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid molecule is an RNA molecule, including an mRNA or a cRNA; or a DNA molecule, including a cDNA.

3. The nucleic acid molecule according to claim 1 , wherein the Borrelia strains causing Lyme Borreliosis belong to species selected from the group consisting of B. burgdorferi s.s., B. afzelii, B. bavariensis, B. garinii, B. mayonii, B. lusitaniae, B. bissettii and B. spielmanii.

4. The nucleic acid molecule according to claim 1 , wherein the at least two introduced cysteine residues in the encoded immunogenic polypeptide are introduced at positions between about (i) amino acids 180 to 184, and (ii) amino acids 267 to 271, wherein the amino acids are numbered according to the full-length B. afzelii OspA amino acid sequence provided by SEQ ID NO: 74.

5. The nucleic acid molecule according to claim 1 , wherein the immunogenic variants of SEQ ID NO: 9, SEQ ID NO: 10, SEQ ID NO: 12, or SEQ ID NO: 13 have at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, or at least 99% sequence identity with any one of SEQ ID NO: 9; SEQ ID NO: 10, SEQ ID NO: 12, or SEQ ID NO: 13.

6. The nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 , wherein the encoded immunogenic polypeptide comprises a peptide (i) and a peptide (ii), wherein

peptide (i) is a peptide with an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 9 and SEQ ID NO: 10, or immunogenic variant thereof, wherein said immunogenic variant has at least 95% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO: 9 or SEQ ID NO: 10; and

peptide (ii) is a peptide with an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 12 and SEQ ID NO: 13, or an immunogenic variant thereof, wherein said immunogenic variant has at least 95% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO: 12 or SEQ ID NO: 13.

7. The nucleic acid molecule of claim 6 , wherein the encoded immunogenic polypeptide is a fusion protein, wherein peptide (i) is N-terminal to peptide (ii) or wherein peptide (ii) is N-terminal to peptide (i); and wherein peptide (i) and peptide (ii) are joined by a linker sequence.

8. The nucleic acid molecule of claim 6 , wherein the encoded fusion protein comprises or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 28 (Lip-V3-L2-V5).

9. The nucleic acid molecule of claim 6 , wherein the nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of the nucleotide sequence provided by SEQ ID NO: 29.

10. The nucleic acid molecule of claim 6 , wherein the encoded immunogenic polypeptide further comprises an N-terminal lipidation signal sequence, optionally wherein the N-terminal lipidation signal sequence is MKATKLVLGAVILGSTLLAGCSS (SEQ ID NO: 30).

11. The nucleic acid molecule of claim 7 , wherein said linker sequence in the encoded immunogenic polypeptide comprises or consists of ANNQAGQKSSGSTQATTPNLTFE (SEQ ID NO: 32).

12. A pharmaceutical composition comprising the nucleic acid molecule according to claim 1 and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient.

13. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 12 , wherein at least one additional nucleic acid molecule encoding an additional antigen from Borrelia or a pathogen other than Borrelia is present in the pharmaceutical composition or a second pharmaceutical composition, optionally wherein the additional antigen is from a tick-borne pathogen, optionally wherein the tick-borne pathogen is selected from the group consisting of Borrelia hermsii, Borrelia parkeri, Borrelia duttoni, Borrelia miyamotoi, Borrelia turicatae, Rickettsia rickettsii, Rickettsia australis, Rickettsia conorii, Rickettsia helvetica, Rickettsia parkeri, Francisella tularensis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia sennetsu, Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Coxiella burnetii and Borrelia lonestari , Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), Colorado tick fever virus (CTFV), Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), Kyasanur forest disease virus (KFDV), Powassan virus, Heartland virus, Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever virus (OHFV), and Babesia spp., optionally wherein the second pharmaceutical composition is a tick-borne encephalitis vaccine, a Japanese encephalitis vaccine or a Rocky Mountain spotted fever vaccine.

14. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 12 , wherein the encoded immunogenic polypeptide comprises or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 28 (Lip-V3-L2-V5).

15. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 12 , wherein the nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of the nucleotide sequence provided by SEQ ID NO: 29.

16. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 12 , wherein said pharmaceutical composition is a vaccine.

17. The nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 for use in a method of treating or preventing a Borrelia infection, optionally a B. burgdorferi s.s., B. garinii, B. afzelii, B. andersoni, B. bavariensis, B. bissettii, B. valaisiana, B. lusitaniae, B. spielmanii, B. mayonii, B. japonica, B. tanukii, B. turdi or B. sinica infection, optionally a B. burgdorferi s.s., B. afzelii or B. garinii infection.

18. A method of treating or preventing a Borrelia infection, comprising administering to a subject in need thereof the nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 , optionally wherein the Borrelia infection is a B. burgdorferi s.s., B. garinii, B. afzelii, B. andersoni, B. bavariensis, B. bissettii, B. valaisiana, B. lusitaniae, B. spielmanii, B. mayonii, B. japonica, B. tanukii, B. turdi or B. sinica infection, optionally a B. burgdorferi s.s., B. afzelii or B. garinii infection.

19. A method of treating or preventing a Borrelia infection, comprising administering to a subject in need thereof the nucleic acid molecule of claim 8 , optionally wherein the Borrelia infection is a B. burgdorferi s.s., B. garinii, B. afzelii, B. andersoni, B. bavariensis, B. bissettii, B. valaisiana, B. lusitaniae, B. spielmanii, B. mayonii, B. japonica, B. tanukii, B. turdi or B. sinica infection, optionally a B. burgdorferi s.s., B. afzelii or B. garinii infection.

20. A method of treating or preventing a Borrelia infection, comprising administering to a subject in need thereof the pharmaceutical composition of claim 12 , optionally wherein the Borrelia infection is a B. burgdorferi s.s., B. garinii, B. afzelii, B. andersoni, B. bavariensis, B. bissettii, B. valaisiana, B. lusitaniae, B. spielmanii, B. mayonii, B. japonica, B. tanukii, B. turdi or B. sinica infection, optionally a B. burgdorferi s.s., B. afzelii or B. garinii infection.