Antigen delivery vectors and constructs
The present invention relates to fluorocarbon vectors for the delivery of antigens to immunoresponsive target cells. It further relates to fluorocarbon vector-antigen constructs and the use of such vectors associated with antigens as vaccines and immunotherapeutics in animals.
1. A composition comprising:
a fluorocarbon vector-antigen construct of structure C m F n —C y H x -(Sp)-R, where m=3 to 30, n<=2m+1, y=0 to 15, x<=2y, (m+y)=3−30 and Sp is an optional chemical spacer moiety and R is an immunogenic peptide comprising an antigen selected from the group consisting of a viral antigen, a bacterial antigen, a parasitic antigen, and a cancer antigen; and
one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, excipients, diluents or adjuvants.
2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the fluorocarbon vector-antigen construct has a structure
3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the fluorocarbon vector-antigen construct has a structure
4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the fluorocarbon vector-antigen construct has a structure
5. The composition of claim 1 , wherein R comprises one or more epitopes from a viral protein.
6. The composition of claim 1 , wherein R is a peptide consisting of between 7 to 70 amino acids.
7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein R comprises at least one B cell epitope.
8. The composition of claim 1 , wherein R comprises two or more overlapping epitopes.
9. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the fluorocarbon vector is non-covalently associated with an antigen.
10. The composition of claim 1 , wherein R comprises multiple epitopes and/or fusion peptides.
11. The composition of claim 1 formulated for parenteral, oral, ocular, rectal, nasal, transdermal, topical, or vaginal administration.
12. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition is a liquid, solid, aerosol or gas.
13. The composition of claim 1 comprising an adjuvant selected from the group consisting of muramyldipeptide (MDP) derivatives, CpG, monophosphoryl lipid A, oil in water adjuvants, water-in-oil adjuvants, aluminium salts, immunostimulating complex (ISCOMs), liposomes, microparticles, saponins, cytokines, bacterial toxins and toxoids.
14. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the immunogenic peptide defines a T-cell epitope.
15. A composition comprising:
a fluorocarbon vector-antigen construct of structure C m F n —C y H x -(Sp)-R, where m=3 to 30, n<=2m+1, y=0 to 15, x<=2y, (m+y)=3−30, Sp is an optional chemical spacer moiety, and R is an immunogenic peptide defining a T-cell epitope; and
one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, excipients, diluents or adjuvants.
16. The composition of claim 15 , wherein the fluorocarbon vector-antigen construct has a structure
17. The composition of claim 15 , wherein the fluorocarbon vector-antigen construct has a structure
18. The composition of claim 15 , wherein the fluorocarbon vector-antigen construct has a structure
19. The composition of claim 15 , wherein the epitope is from a viral protein.