Universal influenza vaccine targeting virus/host recognition

1. An isolated synthetic peptide or an immunologic composition comprising said synthetic peptide wherein said synthetic peptide has an informational spectrum (IS) that overlaps with the IS of at least one hemagglutinin (HA) protein or fragment thereof, wherein the synthetic peptide is capable of eliciting an immune response against the HA protein or fragment thereof, wherein the synthetic peptide comprises an amino acid sequence selected from:

CDEDGVKPLILRDCCVAGWLLGNHSCDVFINVPE

CDEDGVHPLILRDCCVAIYLLGNHSCDVFILVPE

CDEDGNHPLILRDCCVAIYLLNNHSCDVFILEPL

CDEDGIHPLILRDCCVAIYLLINHSCDVFILNPG

CDLDGLHPLILRDCSVANYLLINPMCDEFILEPL

EELKKLLCRINKFEKISIIPKGSWSDHEACGVSC

EGLKHLLSRILHFIHIQIIPKNQYSDHIASGNSS

EGLKKLLCRIIKFGHISIIPKGMYSDHGACGESC

ENLKKLLCRLIKFNHISIIPKGQYSDHNACGGSC

EILKKLLCRLIKFIHISIIPKGQYSDHIACGNSC

GANNTCLPFQNNHPITIGACPKWVKCTKNRLATGLRNIHSIQ

LANNTCLPFQNNHPITILACPKWVKCTKNRLATGLRNIHSIQ

IAGNTCLPFQNGHPITIIACPKWVKCTKGRLATGLRNIHSIQ

NAENTCLPFQNEHPITVNACPKWVKCTKERLATGLRNIHSIQ

LAVNTCLPFQNVHPITVLACPKWVKCTKVRLATGLRNIHSIQ

TLKTIITLLPMLMMTVGTLAVA

TLAFIITELPSLMCRVGRLAVA

SDGDINKPLLVTDSCNKNYLLNIHSCDVTNIIPN

QDLDINKPLLNTDQMLKNYLLNIPQQDLTNIIPN

GLVAPNVMTVLPTGKVMVLPAVQYMDPGAMVIMM

GGVAHVVCTVVHTGAVCVVPAVMWMDPGASVVMS

LAVVTQVPTMLVPPVTVVAMPAWVKMTKVTVATVVTVNPMVQ

LAVVTCVPTMLGHPVTVVAMPAWVKSTKETVATVVTVNHMVQ

TLATIITVLPMLQMTNITVKVA

TVAFVVREVPSVMCRVVREAVA.

2. The isolated synthetic peptide or immunologic composition according to claim 1 , wherein:

(i) the synthetic peptide is an antigen in a vaccine;

(ii) the synthetic peptide according to any of the foregoing alone or in combination with one or more seasonal flu vaccine antigens;

(iii) the synthetic peptide according to any of the foregoing alone or in combination with one or more seasonal flu vaccine antigens;

(iv) the immunologic composition according to any of the foregoing provides protection against one or more flu strains;

(v) the immunologic composition according to any of the foregoing further comprises a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and/or excipient and/or adjuvant;

(vi) the immunologic composition according to any of the foregoing further comprises another antigen obtained from a human or poultry influenza virus; optionally obtained from one or more of influenza A virus subtype H1, H3, H5, H7, and H9; or

(vii) the immunologic composition comprises any combination of the foregoing.

3. An isolated synthetic peptide that (i) comprises an amino acid sequence whose informational spectrum (IS) contains a frequency component F(0.148), and (ii) induces antibodies that bind to a hemagglutinin (HA) protein of an influenza virus, wherein the synthetic peptide comprises an amino acid sequence selected from:

CDEDGVKPLILRDCCVAGWLLGNHSCDVFINVPE

CDEDGVHPLILRDCCVAIYLLGNHSCDVFILVPE

CDEDGNHPLILRDCCVAIYLLNNHSCDVFILEPL

CDEDGIHPLILRDCCVAIYLLINHSCDVFILNPG

CDLDGLHPLILRDCSVANYLLINPMCDEFILEPL

EELKKLLCRINKFEKISIIPKGSWSDHEACGVSC

EGLKHLLSRILHFIHIQIIPKNQYSDHIASGNSS

EGLKKLLCRIIKFGHISIIPKGMYSDHGACGESC

ENLKKLLCRLIKFNHISIIPKGQYSDHNACGGSC

EILKKLLCRLIKFIHISIIPKGQYSDHIACGNSC

GANNTCLPFQNNHPITIGACPKWVKCTKNRLATGLRNIHSIQ

LANNTCLPFQNNHPITILACPKWVKCTKNRLATGLRNIHSIQ

IAGNTCLPFQNGHPITIIACPKWVKCTKGRLATGLRNIHSIQ

NAENTCLPFQNEHPITVNACPKWVKCTKERLATGLRNIHSIQ

LAVNTCLPFQNVHPITVLACPKWVKCTKVRLATGLRNIHSIQ

TLKTIITLLPMLMMTVGTLAVA

TLAFIITELPSLMCRVGRLAVA

SDGDINKPLLVTDSCNKNYLLNIHSCDVTNIIPN

QDLDINKPLLNTDQMLKNYLLNIPQQDLTNIIPN

GLVAPNVMTVLPTGKVMVLPAVQYMDPGAMVIMM

GGVAHVVCTVVHTGAVCVVPAVMWMDPGASVVMS

LAVVTQVPTMLVPPVTVVAMPAWVKMTKVTVATVVTVNPMVQ

LAVVTCVPTMLGHPVTVVAMPAWVKSTKETVATVVTVNHMVQ

TLATIITVLPMLQMTNITVKVA

and

TVAFVVREVPSVMCRVVREAVA.

4. A method for identifying a peptide that elicits an immune response against at least one hemagglutinin (HA) protein or fragment thereof according to claim 1 , comprising the following:

(1)(i) obtaining an amino acid sequence of at least one HA protein or fragment thereof; (ii) assigning an electron-ion interaction potential (EIIP) index value to each amino acid residue contained in the amino acid sequence of the HA protein or fragment; (iii) subjecting the resultant EIIP index values to discrete Fourier transformation (DFT); (iv) generating an informational spectrum (IS) of the at least one HA protein or fragment based on the EIIP index values;

(2)(i) obtaining an amino acid sequence of a peptide or peptides; (ii) assigning an EIIP index value to each amino acid residue contained in the amino acid sequence of the peptide or peptides; (iii) subjecting the resultant EIIP index values to discrete Fourier transformation (DFT); (iv) generating an informational spectrum (IS) of each peptide based on the EIIP index values;

(3) comparing the IS of the at least one HA protein or fragment generated in (1)(iv) to the IS of the peptide or peptides generated in (2)(iv); and

(4) identifying the peptide or peptides whose IS overlap with the IS of the at least one HA protein or fragment, and based thereon identifying the peptide or peptides as one being capable of eliciting an immune response against the HA protein or fragment.

5. The method of claim 4 , which further includes any of the following:

(i) synthesizing at least one of the identified peptides;

(ii) synthesizing at least one of the identified peptides and assessing its immunogenicity or ability to generate antibodies that specifically bind to said at least one HA protein;

(iii) producing an immunologic composition comprising at least one of the peptides identified by any of the foregoing methods; and

(iv) generating a cross-spectrum (CS) based on the IS of the at least one HA protein generated in (1)(iv) and the IS of the peptide or peptides generated in (2)(iv) according to any of the foregoing methods to identify a common frequency component.

6. A method for the treatment or prevention of influenza virus infection in a subject, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of an isolated synthetic peptide or an immunologic composition according to claim 1 or a therapeutically effective amount of an antibody or antigen binding fragment that binds thereto in a subject in need thereof, wherein the immunologic composition or the synthetic peptide or the antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof effectively treats or prevents influenza infection in the subject, optionally a human subject.

7. A method of eliciting an immune response by administering an immunologic composition of claim 1 .

8. A method for producing the immunologic composition of claim 1 , comprising (i) obtaining the synthetic peptide, and (ii) admixing the synthetic peptide with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and/or excipient and/or adjuvant.