IMMUNOGENIC MENINGOCOCCAL LPS AND OUTER MEMBRANE VESICLES AND VACCINE THEREFROM

摘要

The invention is directed at an immunity providing B cell activating moleculederived from a meningococcal lipopolysaccharide(LPS) having at least one epitope, said molecule comprising at least thecommunal part of the oligosaccharide part (coreregion) of lipopolysaccharides specific for at least two meningococcalimmunotypes, preferably immunotypes L2 and L3 andwherein galactose is absent in the B cell activating part, as well asderivatives of the molecule with immune reaction inducingcapacity. The invention is also directed at an outer membrane vesicle providedwith a group of polypeptides having at least theimmunoactivity of outer membrane proteins (OMP's) bound to a membrane, apolypeptide from the group of said outer membranevesicles being a membrane anchored OMP or OMP fragment with a mutation in oneof the surface loops, preferably in a 2, 3, 5,6, 7 or 8-loop of a class I OMP. Furthermore, the invention is directed at avaccine comprising such an outer membrane vesicleand/or lipopolysaccharide, as well as at methods for preparing alipopolysaccharide and an outer membrane vesicle as describedabove.