Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 46
Claim 1
Independent Claim
110 words
A carrier substance for immunogenic determinants, comprising immunogenicity-increasing carrier particles derived from gram-negative bacterial cells substantially devoid or depleted of natural immunogenic determinants of the cells and comprising that region of the cells which includes lipid A and from there ranges inwardly towards the cell interior and including cell wall material, the particles having been chemically treated with a linking reagent in an amount to provide covalently bonded intermediate linking moieties exposed on the particles, providing reactive functional groups adapted to be bonded covalently to an immunogenically effective amount of selected haptens or immunogens comprising immunogenic determinants, while preserving the adjuvant character of the lipid A and cell wall material.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
110 words
A carrier substance for immunogenic determinants, comprising immunogenicity-increasing carrier particles derived from gram-negative bacterial cells substantially devoid or depleted of natural immunogenic determinants of the cells and comprising that region of the cells which includes lipid A and from there ranges inwardly towards the cell interior and including cell wall material, the particles having been chemically treated with a linking reagent in an amount to provide covalently bonded intermediate linking moieties exposed on the particles, providing reactive functional groups adapted to be bonded covalently to an immunogenically effective amount of selected haptens or immunogens comprising immunogenic determinants, while preserving the adjuvant character of the lipid A and cell wall material.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
47 words
A carrier substance as claimed rn claim 1, wherein the particles are gram-negative bacterial cell particles subjected to chemical cleavage to substantially free the lipid A of 0-determinant-carrying material external of the lipid A, followed by covalent bonding to the particle exterior of the intermediate linking moieties.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
A carrier substance as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cell walls of the cell particles are substantially intact.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
A carrier substance as claimed in claim 2, wherein 80% or more of the natural O-antigens have been cleaved off.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
A carrier substance as claimed in claim 4, wherein 90% or more of the natural O-antigens have been cleaved off.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
A carrier substance as claimed in claim 5, wherein from 92 to 98% of the natural 0-antigens have been cleaved off.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
A carrier substance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the linking reagent with which the particles have been treated is a bifunctional linking agent comprising two functional groups.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
A carrier substance as claimed in claim 7, wherein the two functional groups of the bifunctional linking agent are the same.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
A carrier substance as claimed in claim 7, wherein the two functional groups of the bifunctional linking agent are different.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
A carrier substance as claimed in claim 7, wherein the functional groups are selected from the group consisting of aldehyde, imide, amino, cyano, halogen, activated carboxyl, carboxylic acid anhydride or a maleimide.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
A carrier substance as claimed in claim 10, wherein the linking agent is a dialdehyde, diamine, cyanogen bromide, N-succinimidyl-3(N-succinimidyl)propionate, or a N-hydroxyorsuccimide ester of N-(-4-4-carboxy-cyclohexyl) maleimide.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
35 words
A carrier substance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the linking moieties are present in an amount adapted to bond hapten or immunogen in excess of 1-2 μg/mg of particles on a dry mass basis.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
A carrier substance as claimed in claim 12, so adapted to bond from 1 to about 200 μg hapten or immunogen per mg of particles on a dry mass basis.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
43 words
A carrier substance as claimed in claim 1 which has been converted into an immunogenic substance in that the reactive functional groups have been reacted to covalently bond selected haptens or immunogens comprising immunogenic determinants for a desired immune response by antibodyproducing cells.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
A carrier substance converted into an immunogenic substance according to claim 14 in the form of an injectable vaccine.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
28 words
A carrier substance according to claim 14 to which has been covalently bonded hapten or immunogen in excess of 1-2 μg/mg of particles on a dry mass basis.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
31 words
A carrier substance according to claim 14 to which has been covalently bonded from 1 to about 200 μg hapten or immunogen per mg of particles on a dry mass basis.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
27 words
A carrier substance according to claim 14 to which has been covalently bonded 5-50 μg hapten or immunogen per mg of particles on a dry mass basis.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
132 words
An immunogenic substance with inherent adjuvant properties, comprising carrier particles having an exterior surface, derived from gram-negative bacterial cells having a membrane including an outer periphery known as the cell wall and lipid A, which particles include the cell region ranging inwardly from lipid A to the membrane, both inclusive and from which particles any cell material beyond lipid A, including O-antigen has been removed by chemical cleavage whollyor predominantly and further comprising an immunogenic determinant for producing a desired immunogenic response in living, antibody-producing cells, the determinant being coalently bonded by a synthetic linking reaction to the exterior surface of the carrier particles in a form permitting immuno-recognition by antibody-producing cells, the immunogenic determinant containing immunogenic information which elicits a desired response and the adjuvant character of the particles being preserved.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
132 words
An immunogenic substance with inherent adjuvant properties, comprising carrier particles having an exterior surface, derived from gram-negative bacterial cells having a membrane including an outer periphery known as the cell wall and lipid A, which particles include the cell region ranging inwardly from lipid A to the membrane, both inclusive and from which particles any cell material beyond lipid A, including O-antigen has been removed by chemical cleavage whollyor predominantly and further comprising an immunogenic determinant for producing a desired immunogenic response in living, antibody-producing cells, the determinant being coalently bonded by a synthetic linking reaction to the exterior surface of the carrier particles in a form permitting immuno-recognition by antibody-producing cells, the immunogenic determinant containing immunogenic information which elicits a desired response and the adjuvant character of the particles being preserved.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
21 words
A substance as claimed in claim 19, wherein 80% or more of the natural O-antigens have been cleaved off the particles.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
19 words
A substance as claimed in claim 20, wherein 90% or more of the natural 0-antigens have been cleaved off.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
20 words
A substance as claimed in claim 21, wherein from 92 to 98% of the natural, 0-antigens have been cleaved off.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
19 words
An immunogenic substance according to claim 19, wherein the immunogenic determinant is bonded directly to the carrier bacterial particle.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
23 words
An immunogenic substance according to claim 19, wherein the immunogenic determinant is bonded to the carrier bacterial particle via a bifunctional linking agent.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
20 words
A substance as claimed in claim 24, wherein the two functional groups of the bifunctional linking agent are the same.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
19 words
A substance as claimed in claim 24, wherein the two functional groups of the bifunctional linking agent are different.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
31 words
A substance as claimed in claim 24, wherein the functional groups are selected from the group consisting of aldehyde, imide, amino, cyano, halogen, activated carboxyl, carboxylic acid anhydride or a maleimide.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
25 words
A substance as claimed in claim 27, wherein the linking agent is a dialdehyde, diamine, cyanogen bromide, N- succinimidyl-3(N-succinimidyl)propionate, or a N-hydroxysuccinimide ester of N-(-4-4-carboxy-cyclohexyl)maleimide.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
18 words
A substance as claimed in claim 19, wherein the cell walls of the cell particles are substantially intact.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
18 words
A substance as claimed in claim 19, wherein the immunogenic determinant is foreign to the carrier bacterial particle.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
14 words
A substance as claimed in claim 30, wherein the immunogeni determinant is an antibody.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
39 words
A substance as claimed in claim 19, wherein the immunogenic determinant is provided by a hapten or antigen covalently bonded to the carrier particles in an amount in excess of 1-2 μg/mg of particles on a dry mass basis.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
26 words
A substance as claimed in claim 32, comprising from 1 to about 200 μg hapten or immunogen per mg of particles on a dry mass basis.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
22 words
A substance as claimed in claim 33, comprising 5-50 μg hapten or immunogen per mg of particles on a dry mass basis.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
22 words
A substance as claimed in claim 34, comprising 5-20 μg hapten or immunogen per mg of particles on a dry mass basis.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
20 words
A substance as claimed in claim 19, wherein the immunogenic determinant has a molecular weight of less than 150,000 Daltons.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
16 words
A substance as claimed in claim 36, wherein the molecular weight is less than 100,000 Daltons.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
16 words
A substance as claimed in claim 37, wherein the molecular weight is less than 30,000 Daltons.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
51 words
A substance as claimed in claim 19 in the form of an immunogenic composition which elicits an immunogenic response for active protective immunisation against a disease or pathological condition, and which comprises an immunogeni determinant containing immunogenic information for producing the desired specific immunogenic response covalently bonded to the carrier particles.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
155 words
In a method of raising antibodies against an immunogenic determinant which comprises challenging antibody-producing living cells with an immunogenic determinant, the improvement which comprises so challenging the cells with an immunogenic substance with inherent adjuvant properties, comprising immunogenicity-increasing carrier particles having an exterior surface, derived from gram-negative bacterial cells having a membrane including an outer periphery known as the cell wall and lipid A, which particles include the cell region ranging inwardly from lipid A to the membrane, both inclusive and from which particles any cell material beyond lipid A, including O-antigen has been removed by chemical cleavage wholly or predominantly and further comprising an immunogenic determinant for producing a desired immunogenic response in living, antibody-producing cells, the determinant being covalently bonded by a synthetic linking reaction to the exterior surface of the carrier particles in a form permitting immuno recognition by antibody-producing cells, the immunogenic determinant containing immunogenic information which elicits a desired response.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
155 words
In a method of raising antibodies against an immunogenic determinant which comprises challenging antibody-producing living cells with an immunogenic determinant, the improvement which comprises so challenging the cells with an immunogenic substance with inherent adjuvant properties, comprising immunogenicity-increasing carrier particles having an exterior surface, derived from gram-negative bacterial cells having a membrane including an outer periphery known as the cell wall and lipid A, which particles include the cell region ranging inwardly from lipid A to the membrane, both inclusive and from which particles any cell material beyond lipid A, including O-antigen has been removed by chemical cleavage wholly or predominantly and further comprising an immunogenic determinant for producing a desired immunogenic response in living, antibody-producing cells, the determinant being covalently bonded by a synthetic linking reaction to the exterior surface of the carrier particles in a form permitting immuno recognition by antibody-producing cells, the immunogenic determinant containing immunogenic information which elicits a desired response.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
15 words
A method according to claim 40, which further comprises concentrating and recovering the antibodies raised.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 41, wherein the antibodies are incorporated in a composition for use as an anti-serum.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 41, wherein the antibodies are converted into or adapted to use as an immuno-reagent