ANTIBODY COMPOSITION COMPRISING ANTI - HCV -ANTIBODIES AND IMMUNOASSAY USING SUCH ANTIBODIES

摘要

A new virus, Hepatitis C virus (HCV), which has proven to be the major etiologic agent of blood-borne NANBH, was discovered by Applicant. The initial work on this virus, which includes a partial genomic sequence of the prototype HCV isolate, is described in EPO Pub. No. 318,216, and PCT Pub. No. WO 89/04669. The present invention, which in part is based on new HCV sequences and polypeptides which are not disclosed in the above-cited publications, includes the application of these new sequences and polypeptides in immunoassays, probe diagnostics, anti-HCV antibody production, PCR technology, and recombinant DNA technology. Included within the invention also are novel, immunogenic polypeptides encoded within clones containing HCV cDNA, novel methods for purifying an immunogenic HCV polypeptide, and antisense polynucleotides derived from HCV cDNA.