Recombinant Vaccine from gE, gI, and gB Proteins of the Varicella-Zoster Virus for the Treatment and Prevention of Multiple Sclerosis

摘要

Varicella-zoster virus belongs to the herpesvirus family and its main host are humans, producing 2 different diseases: varicella in children and young adults and zoster in elder or immunodepressed subjects. We reported in the scientific medical literature the unexpected finding that the role of varicella-zoster virus in the pathogeny of Multiple Sclerosis (Archives of Neurology 61: 529-532). This finding allows us to foresee the use of a vaccine against this virus with preventive and therapeutic ends for multiple sclerosis which eventually could also be applicable in the prevention of varicella and zoster. Currently the only vaccine used in humans is that produced by attenuated live varicella-zoster viruses, this latter feature thus avoiding its therapeutic use in multiple sclerosis, wherein the chronic disease is caused by periodic exacerbations of the virus which remains latent in the host, therefore by injecting an attenuated and viable virus the infection may be exacerbated and promote the very latency of the vaccine virus. In our studies the most conspicuous genes of the varicella-zoster virus found in multiple sclerosis patients were the ones corresponding to the genes ORF31 (gB), ORF67 (gI) and ORF68 (gE). The recombinant vaccine which is the subject of this patent is built up by the proteins generated by these genes inserted in a plasmid vector of pNMT1-TOPO in order to transform Schizosaccharomyces pombe and thus obtaining the recombinant viral proteins which build up the vaccine. This vaccine, by being made from recombinant viral proteins eliminates the risks associated to the use of vaccines from attenuated viable viruses. Likewise, the use of these recombinant viral proteins is specific and sensitive to serological tests for the diagnosis of infections caused by the varicella-zoster virus.