BICISTRONIC INFLUENZA VIRUSES COMPRISING TWO GENES IN TANDEM

摘要

The invention relates to recombinant influenza viruses for high-yield expression of incorporated foreign gene(s), which are genetically stable in the absence of any helper virus and which comprise at least one viral RNA segment being a tandem bicistronic RNA molecule coding for two genes in tandem, in said tandem bicistronic RNA molecule one of the standard viral genes being in covalent junction with a foreign, recombinant gene and having an upstream splice donor and a downstream splice acceptor signal surrounding the proximal coding region. The invention further provides a method for obtaining attenuated viruses which resist reassortment dependent progeny production in case of chance superinfections by wild-type influenza viruses; a method for the production of said recombinant influenza viruses; pharmaceutical compositions comprising said recombinant influenza viruses; and the use of said recombinant influenza viruses for preparing medicaments for vaccination purposes.