DEVELOPMENT OF BACTERIAL POLYSACCHARIDE AS AN ADJUVANT

A NOVEL BACTERIAL POLYSACCHARIDE, TERMED GBA (GLIDING BACTERIAL ADJUVANT), HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE A POTENT AND APPARENTLY NON-TOXIC ADJUVANT AND IMMUNOPOTENTIATOR. WE WILL EXPAND ON THIS BODY OF RESEARCH BY FOCUSING ON SELECT BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES DISPLAYED BY GBA. THE RESEARCH WILL INCLUDE: 1) A DIRECT COMPARISON OF GBA TO 5 WELL KNOWN, CURRENTLY USED ADJUVANTS, INCLUDING FREUND'S, ADJUVANT B, CARBOPOL, MURAMYL DIPEPTIDE (MDP), AND ALUM. HUMORAL RESPONSES TO 4 IMPORTANT VACCINES, WHICH ARE IN VARIOUS STAGES OF COMMERCIALIZA- TION WILL BE EXAMINED. 2) THE USE OF GBA AS AN ADJUVANT FOR THE IN VITRO GENERATION OF HUMAN AND MURINE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES FROM HYBRIDOMAS. SUCCESSFUL ATTAINMENT OF THESE RESEARCH GOALS SHOULD PERMIT COMMERCIALIZATION DURING PHASE II DEVELOPMENT.