'The invention entitled "Sequences of recombinant flaviviral virus-like particles and their medical application to prevent Zika virus infections", by the decision of the Polish Patent and Trademark Office, gains protection in Poland,' reports the Director of the Technology Transfer Centre at the Medical University of Gdańsk, Katarzyna Gronowska. The unit is responsible for coordinating the process of intellectual protection of the invention.
The Patent Office of the Republic of Poland decided to grant a patent (Pat. 243688) for the invention ‘Sequences of recombinant flavivirus-like particles and their medical application for the prevention of Zika virus infection’ to scientists from the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG. The invention was worked on by a team of scientists under the direction of dr hab. Ewelina Król, prof. UG, consisting of dr Gabriela Brzuska, dr Anna Czarnota and prof. dr hab. Bogusław Szewczyk.
Zika virus infection, transmitted by mosquitoes, usually causes mild symptoms or is asymptomatic. However, it can cause severe congenital disabilities in infants born to women infected during pregnancy. The virus was spotted worldwide during the 2015-2016 epidemic, with major outbreaks in Central and South America. Despite allocating significant resources for vaccine development immediately after the outbreak, there are currently no approved Zika virus agents on the market. Work on most products is still in the pre-clinical or early clinical stages.
'The technology our team researched concerns recombinant flaviviral protein antigens in the form of virus-like particles, which can be used as vaccine preparations against Zika virus and as elements of diagnostic tests,' says the Dean of the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG, prof. Ewelina Król, the project leader. 'Our solution presents methods for purifying the developed antigens obtained from eukaryotic cells on a laboratory scale and will also be able to be used for purifying antigens on a semi-industrial scale,' she adds.
The recombinant flavivirus protein antigens are based on a combination of different regions of the structural proteins of flaviviruses (Zika virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus). This combination allows the efficient production of proteins in cells in various gene expression systems, contributing to the formation of virus-like particles (VLPs) with conformational epitopes on their surface.
Vaccine preparation against the Zika virus leads to its neutralisation in the human body. The production of recombinant vaccines does not require working with live viruses, thus reducing the high cost of antigen production.
'The invention is also the subject of an application to the European Patent Office (EPO) and the International Patent System (PCT),' adds Katarzyna Gronowska.