RECOMBINANT HEPATITIS A VIRUS (HAV), HAV VARIANTS, HAV-BASED VACCINES AND METHODS OF PRODUCING THEM

摘要

The invention described herein is directed to methods and compositions involving recombinant hepatitis A virus (HAV) expressing heterologous nucleic acid sequences and a forced selection method to identify viral variants, including HAV variants, that may contain characteristics beneficial for a vaccine. Accordingly, the invention includes HAV-based vaccine virus seed and other viral vaccine seed, including methods of making them. The viruses of the present invention also generally have diagnostic uses as well as therapeutic uses for gene therapy, especially with respect to liver-specific diseases and conditions.