FREE-RADICAL INDUCED POLYMERIZATION OF SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES INTO POLYMERIC IMMUNOGENS

Free radical induced polymerization of vinyl monomers such as the acry loyl peptides described here is a facile and rapid reaction used routi nely, for example, in the polymerization of acrylamide and bisacrylami de for the assembly of polyacrylamide gels. The technology allows the incorporation of many of the same or different peptide determinants in to a single polymer chain. In this study large polymers containing mul tiple copies of peptides representing T- and B-cell determinants of in fluenza haemagglutinin were constructed. The determinants retained ant igenicity after the polymerization procedure and the polymers were hig hly immunogenic; the levels of antibody obtained after a single dose o f polymeric immunogen were at least as great as those achieved only af ter repeated doses of the equivalent monomeric peptide. The technology has a wide range of potential applications, not the least significant of which is the construction of designer immunogens for third generat ion vaccine candidates. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.