Antibodies against west nile virus and therapeutic and prophylactic uses thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to compositions comprising antibodies or fragments thereof that immunospecifically bind to one or more antigens of a flavivirus, particularly of West Nile Virus (WNV), and methods for preventing, treating or ameliorating symptoms associated with a flavivirus, particularly of West Nile Virus (WNV), infection utilizing said compositions. In particular, the present invention relates to methods for preventing, treating or ameliorating symptoms associated with WNV infection, said methods comprising administering to a human subject an effective amount of one or more antibodies or fragments thereof that immunospecifically bind to a WNV antigen. The present invention also relates to detectable or diagnostic compositions comprising antibodies or fragments thereof that immunospecifically bind to a WNV antigen and methods for detecting or diagnosing WNV infection utilizing said compositions.

1 - 45 . (canceled) 
     
     
         46 . A monoclonal antibody or an antigen binding fragment thereof that specifically binds a West Nile virus NS1 protein. 
     
     
         47 . The monoclonal antibody of  claim 46 , wherein the antibody is human, humanized, or chimeric. 
     
     
         48 . An isolated nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a heavy chain or a light chain of the monoclonal antibody of  claim 46  or antigen binding fragment thereof operably linked to a heterologous promoter. 
     
     
         49 . A vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule of  claim 48 . 
     
     
         50 . A vector comprising a first nucleotide sequence encoding a heavy chain and a second nucleotide sequence encoding a light chain, said heavy chain and light chain being of the antibody of  claim 46  or antigen binding fragment thereof. 
     
     
         51 . The vector of  claim 50  which is an expression vector. 
     
     
         52 . A host cell containing the vector of  claim 51 . 
     
     
         53 . A host cell containing a first nucleic acid comprising a first nucleotide sequence operably linked to a heterologous promoter and a second nucleic acid comprising a second nucleotide sequence operably linked to the same or a different heterologous promoter, said first nucleotide sequence and second nucleotide sequence encoding a heavy chain and a light chain, respectively, of the antibody of  claim 46 , wherein said host cell expresses said antibody under appropriate conditions. 
     
     
         54 . A method for recombinantly producing a West Nile virus specific monoclonal antibody, said method comprising: (i) culturing in a medium the host cell of  claim 53 , under conditions suitable for the expression of said antibody; and (ii) recovering said antibody from said medium. 
     
     
         55 . A method of treating the symptoms of a West Nile virus infection in a patient, said method comprising administering to said patient a therapeutically effective amount of the monoclonal antibody of  claim 46  or antigen binding fragment thereof. 
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 55 , further comprising administering to said patient an anti-viral agent. 
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein the anti-viral agent is selected from the group consisting of protease inhibitors, nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and nucleoside analogs. 
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein the anti-viral agent is selected from the group consisting of zidovudine, acyclovir, gangcyclovir, vidarabine, idoxuridine, trifluridine, ribavirin, foscarnet, amantadine, rimantadine, saquinavir, indinavir, amprenavir, lopinavir, ritonavir, alpha-interferon, adefovir, clevadine, entecavir, and pleconaril. 
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 55 , wherein said patient is human. 
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 55 , wherein the antibody is human, humanized or chimeric. 
     
     
         61 . A method of diagnosis of a West Nile virus infection in a subject comprising:
 (a) contacting a biological sample from said subject with an effective amount of the antibody of  claim 46  or an antigen binding fragment thereof; and   (b) detecting binding of said antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof,   
       wherein detection of binding of said antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof above a background or standard level indicates that said subject has an a West Nile virus infection. 
     
     
         62 . A pharmaceutical composition comprising (i) a therapeutically effective amount of the antibody of  claim 46 ; and (ii) a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. 
     
     
         63 . The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 62 , wherein the antibody is human, humanized, or chimeric.