Out-licensing

A system to quantitate virus neutralization and entry, utilizing pseudotyped lentiviral vectors that mimic properties of the influenza virus.

Development of effective vaccines against influenza, especially pandemic or avian, is a subject of intense current research efforts.  The efficacy of these vaccines has historically been assessed using hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) assays.  However, HAI assays are limited in their utility by lack of standardization amongst laboratories.  The NIH is pleased to offer the subject technology, a system to quantitate virus neutralization and entry.  This system utilizes pseudotyped lentiviral vectors that mimic properties of the influenza virus.  Experimental use of this system has shown an increase in sensitivity more than ten times that achieved with HAI assays.  This standardized system can allow influenza vaccine candidates to be evaluated and compared, which can be a critical step in identifying the best product forward.

 

Applications:

•    Quick, high-throughput, sensitive and quantitative measure of neutralizing antibodies for vaccine development

•    Identification of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies

 

Advantages:

•    Standardized assay, unlike currently utilized assays

•    Generation of comparable data for various vaccine candidates

 

Development Status:

Comparative data against current standard available

U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/993,378 filed 11 Sept 2007 (HHS Reference No. E-323-2007/0-US-01)

 

Inventors:

GaryNabel and Zhi-yong Yang (NIAID)

Licensees Sought: 
Available for exclusive or non-exclusive licensing.