Genetically modified Brucella cells and pharmaceutical composition containing these cells

• Description

Brucellosis is still an important human and animal health problem and is considered as the most widespread zoonosis in the world, severely affecting livestock and public health. The key to control human brucellosis is to reduce the animal disease, vaccination being the only effective strategy. The current vaccine for Brucella melitensis (called Rev.1) is a live attenuated strain, for which the basis of attenuation is unknown. Most importantly Rev1 is not fully efficacious, can still cause abortion in animals, is occasionally excreted in milk and is fully pathogenic for humans.
Therefore, we have developed genetically modified Brucella cells, which could act as an efficacious vaccine against Brucellosis.

• Keywords

Brucella, vaccine, genetically modified, pharmaceutical composition

• Potential applications

As presented above, the major practical problems associated with the epidemiology and control of brucellosis in animals and man are the development of a safe efficacious vaccine;
The best approach to obtain vaccines against brucellosis with humoral and cellular responses strong enough to induce an efficient protection is live attenuated vaccine. In this case, antigens will be presented to the immune system during a time long enough to induce humoral as well as cell mediated response in the host. To this end, we have obtained well defined (rationally) attenuated vaccine strains.

• Patent Status

Ptaent pending (WO2005003353)

• License

Available for license

• Contact

Nicole MOGUILEVSKY, PhD
Technology Transfer Office
University of Namur
53 rue de Bruxelles
B-5000 Namur
BELGIUM
Phone: +32 81 72 50 47
Fax : +32 81 72 57 01
e-mail: nicole.moguilevsky@fundp.ac.be