RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUSES EXPRESSING IMMUNE MODULATORY MOLECULES

摘要

Recombinant respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are provided which express one or more immune modulatory molecules. The recombinant virus is modified by addition or substitution of a polynucleotide sequence encoding the immune modulatory molecule, which is preferably a cytokine. Introduction of the cytokine increase, decrease, or otherwise enhances aspects of viral biology and/or host immune responses to RSV to facilitate vaccine use of the virus. Cytokines for use within the invention include but are not limited to interleukin 2 (IL-2), interleukin 4 (IL-4), interleukin 5 (IL-5), interleukin 6 (IL-6), or interleukin 18 (IL-18), tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha, interferon gamma (IFN), and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). The polynucleotide or immune modulatory molecule is preferably added or substituted into the recombinant viral genome or antigenome, typically at an intergenic or other non-coding site, as a separate gene but may be otherwise expressed, for example as a fusion protein.