ENHANCEMENT OF B CELL ACTIVATION AND IMMUNOGLOBULIN SECRETION BY CO-STIMULATION OF RECEPTORS FOR ANTIGEN AND EBV GP350/220

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide vaccine adjuvants comprising the Epstein Barr Virus glycoprotein 350/220 or naturally occurring variants thereof, a fusion protein comprising EBV Gp350/220 sequence which binds to the CR2 receptor, or a synthetically-derived fragment of Gp350/220, and immunostimulatory compositions comprising an EBV Gp350/220 adjuvant sequence that binds the CR2 complex and at least one antigen of interest other than Gp350/220.SOLUTION: Co-administration of the adjuvant with an antigen of interest, other than an antigen comprising EBV 350/220 sequence, enhances the immunogenicitiy of the antigen. The adjuvant is directly or indirectly covalently bound to an antigen of interest to form an immunogenic composition. In a most preferred embodiment of the composition, antibodies are elicited against at least two Gp350/220 epitopes and against at least one epitope of the antigen.