A Novel Method of Generating Live-Attenuated, Replication-Defective DNA Viruses for Vaccine Development

Inventor(s): Hua Zhu, Dabbu Kumar Jaijyan, Moses Lee

Awarded: April 2022

Summary:

There are 31 families of DNA viruses that can infect a wide range of hosts, including invertebrates, vertebrates, plants, marine, and other organisms. Many of theseviruses are responsible for thousands of human infections and mortality around the world. DNA viruses that belong to families like papovavirus, hepadnavirus, herpesvirus, and adenovirus have been associated with tumor formation in humans and animals. We comprehensively assessed the effects of centanamycin (CM)on virus attenuation and the potential to develop whole-virion, chemically (CM)-attenuated live DNA viruses as potential vaccines. Our proposed technology solution is the use of CM to develop whole-cell, chemically attenuated, replication-defective live DNA viruses as potential vaccines.

Market Applications:

• To develop chemically-attenuated live viruses as vaccines for the prevention and treatment of DNA viral infections.