| Abstract: | The invention relates to virus-like particles of bacteriophage MS2 (MS2
VLPs) displaying peptide epitopes or peptide mimics of epitopes of Nipah
Virus envelope glycoprotein that elicit an immune response against Nipah
Virus upon vaccination of humans or animals. Affinity selection on Nipah
Virus-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies using random sequence peptide
libraries on MS2 VLPs selected peptides with sequence similarity to
peptide sequences found within the envelope glycoprotein of Nipah itself,
thus identifying the epitopes the antibodies recognize. The selected
peptide sequences themselves are not necessarily identical in all
respects to a sequence within Nipah Virus glycoprotein, and therefore may
be referred to as epitope mimics VLPs displaying these epitope mimics can
serve as vaccine. On the other hand, display of the corresponding
wild-type sequence derived from Nipah Virus and corresponding to the
epitope mapped by affinity selection, may also be used as a vaccine. |