Providing Immunity to Herpes Simplex Virus 1 and 2 Using Virus-Expressing Host Costimulation Molecules

SLU ID 10-010 | Virus-expressing host costimulation molecules

Background

Herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) infections are ubiquitous in the worldwide population. Roughly 65% of the United States population is infected with HSV-1 before reaching 50 years of age. In addition to causing many genital ulcerative diseases, HSV-1 remains a prevalent cause of eye infections afflicting 450,000 persons in the United States. HSV-mediated ocular diseases include blepharitis, conjunctivitis, and stromal keratitis. Periodic re-activation in infected persons can cause recurrent disease of the cornea. For some, the re-activation leads to corneal scaring and loss of vision. Herpetic stromal keratitis is the second most common cause of non-traumatic corneal blindness. HSV-2 infections typically are sexually transmitted, but also may be transmitted to babies born to HSV-infected women who undergo peripartum primary infection or reactivation. In newborns, the infection often widely disseminates, causing sometimes fatal disease and leaving survivors with long-term sequelae. Development of an effective vaccine against HSV-1 and HSV-2 would help control or prevent these diseases.

Technology Overview

Saint Louis University researchers have developed an antiviral vaccine that encodes costimulation molecules for increasing immune response to the Herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2). In vivo studies in mice indicate that increased responsiveness to HSV could be attributed to virus-encoded B7 molecules. To test and demonstrate the concept that B7-1 or B7-2 expression by replication-defective HSV could augment its immunogenicity and protective capacity, SLU researchers constructed replication-defective HSV-2 encoding B7-1 or B7-2. Both viruses partially reconstituted immune responses to HSV compared with replication-defective virus alone when used to immunize B7KO mice, indicating that the increased responsiveness to virus could be attributed to virus-encoded B7 molecules.

Benefits

The potential benefits of this technology include:

• Increasing immune response to HSV

• Minimizing the number of HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections

• Minimizing the number of HSV-mediated ocular diseases

Applications

This technology has potential applications for developing human vaccines for a several viruses including:

• Herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) and other herpes viruses

• Caudovirales

• Mononegavirales

• Nidovirales

• Picornavirales

Opportunity

Saint Louis University is seeking a partner to further develop and commercialize this technology.