CYTOMEGALOVIRUS SURFACE PROTEIN COMPLEX FOR USE IN VACCINES AND AS A DRUG TARGET

摘要

Immunogenic compositions and prophylactic or therapeutic vaccines for use in protecting and treating against human cytomegalovirus (CMV) are disclose d. Subunit vaccines comprising a human CMV protein complex comprising pUL128 or pUL130, and nucleic acid vaccines comprising at least one nucleic acid e ncoding a CMV protein complex comprising pUL128 or pUL130 are described. Als o disclosed are therapeutic antibodies reactive against a CMV protein comple x comprising pUL128 or pUL130, as well as methods for screening compounds th at inhibit CMV infection of epithelial and endothelial cells, methods for im munizing a subject against CMV infection, methods for determining the capabi lity of neutralizing antibodies to inhibit human CMV infection of cell types other than fibroblasts, and methods of diminishing an CMV infection.