Attenuated Viruses with Mutant Ion Channel
Protein
INVENTORS • Yoshihiro Kawaoka
WARF: P00235US
View U.S. Patent No. 6,872,395 in PDF format.
WARF: A Leader in Technology Transfer Since 1925
Since its founding as a private, nonprofit affiliate of
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) is seeking commercial
partners interested in developing a recombinant influenza A virus that does
not contain M2 ion channel activity.
the University of Wisconsin–Madison, WARF has
provided patent and licensing services to UW–
Madison and worked with commercial partners to
transform university research into products that
benefit society. WARF intellectual property managers
OVERVIEW
and licensing staff members are leaders in the field of
university-based technology transfer. They are familiar
with the intricacies of patenting, have worked with
Ion channels, which control the transport of ions across cell membranes, are essential for
many cellular functions and may play an important role in the life cycle of viruses. For
example, the M2 protein from influenza type A virus has ion channel activity. Because this
protein does not vary among influenza A strains, it was thought to be essential for virus
replication.
researchers in relevant disciplines, understand
industries and markets, and have negotiated
innovative licensing strategies to meet the individual
needs of business clients.
The University of Wisconsin and WARF –
A Single Location to Accelerate Translational
THE INVENTION
Development of New Drugs
UW–Madison has the integrative capabilities to
complete many key components of the drug
A UW-Madison researcher has developed—for the first time—a mutant virus that does not
contain M2 ion channel activity. The recombinant influenza A virus was prepared using the
inventor’s reverse genetics system (see WARF reference number P99264US). Although it
replicates well in tissue culture, it is attenuated in mice. It does not cause disease
symptoms, but is able to generate an antibody-mediated immune response, making it an
excellent candidate for a live influenza vaccine or a vaccine vector for another pathogen.
development cycle, from discovery through clinical
trials. As one of the top research universities in the
world, and one of the two best-funded universities for
research in the country, UW–Madison offers state-ofthe-art facilities unmatched by most public
universities.
These include the Small Molecule Screening Facility at
the UW Comprehensive Cancer Center; the Zeeh
APPLICATIONS
• Live influenza vaccine • Vaccine vector for another pathogen
Pharmaceutical Experiment Station, which provides
consulting and laboratory services for developing
formulations and studying solubility, stability and
more; the Waisman Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility;
the Wisconsin Institute for Medical Research, which
provides UW–Madison with a complete translational
research facility; and the innovative, interdisciplinary
KEY BENEFITS
• Provides—for the first time—a knockout virus for the M2 protein
• Demonstrates that M2 ion channel activity is not essential for the life cycle of
influenza A virus
• Vaccines prepared from live, attenuated virus are less costly than vaccines prepared
from inactivated virus, and induce an immunity that is generally more durable,
Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, home to the
private, nonprofit Morgridge Institute for Research and
its public twin, WID, part of the university's graduate
school. The highly qualified experts at these facilities
are ready to work with you to create a library of
candidates for drug development.
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation | 614 Walnut Street, 13th Floor | Madison, WI 53726 | [email protected] | www.warf.org
WARF: P00235US
effective and cross-reactive.
• In addition to influenza virus, the reverse genetics method can be used to prepare other recombinant viruses, such as human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV), that lack ion channel activity.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Related Technologies
For more information on the inventor’s reverse genetics system for producing influenza virus, see WARF reference number P99264US.
Tech Fields
Pharmaceuticals & Vitamin D - Vaccines
CONTACT INFORMATION
For current licensing status, please contact Jennifer Gottwald at [email protected] or (608) 262-5941.
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation | 614 Walnut Street, 13th Floor | Madison, WI 53726 | [email protected] | www.warf.org