What is claimed is:
1. A modified recombinant virus, said modified recombinant virus having virus-encoded genetic functions inactivated therein so that the virus has attenuated virulence, yet retained efficacy; said virus further comprising exogenous DNA in a nonessential region of the virus genome, said exogenous DNA encoding at least one immunodeficiency virus epitope.
2. The virus of claim 1 wherein said virus is a poxvirus.
3. The virus of claim 2 wherein the poxvirus is a vaccinia virus.
4. The virus of claim 3 wherein the genetic functions are inactivated by deleting at least one open reading frame.
5. The virus of claim 4 wherein the deleted genetic functions include a C7LK1L open reading frame, or, a host range region.
6. The virus of claim 5 wherein at least one additional open reading frame is deleted; and, the additional open reading frame is selected from the group consisting of: J2R, B13RB14R, A26L, A56R, and I4L.
7. The virus of claim 5 wherein at least one additional open reading frame is deleted; and, the additional open reading frame is selected from the group consisting of: a thymidine kinase gene, a hemorrhagic region, an A type inclusion body region, a hemagglutinin gene, and a large subunit, ribonucleotide reductase.
8. The virus of claim 6 wherein J2R, B13RB14R, A26L, A56R, C7LK1L and I4L are deleted from the virus.
9. The virus of claim 7 wherein a thymidine kinase gene, a hemorrhagic region, an A type inclusion body region, a hemagglutinin gene, a host range region, and a large subunit, ribonucleotide reductase are deleted from the virus.
10. The virus of claim 8 which is a NYVAC recombinant virus.
11. The virus of claim 9 which is a NYVAC recombinant virus.
12. The virus of claim 11 wherein the exogenous DNA codes for at least one of: HIV1gag(pro)(IIIB), gp120(MN)(transmembrane), nef(BRU)CTL, pol(IIIB)CTL, and ELDKWA or LDKW epitopes.
13. The virus of claim 12 wherein the exogenous DNA codes for HIV1gag (pro)(IIIB), gp120(MN)(transmembrane), two nef(BRU)CTL and three pol(IIIB)CTL epitopes; or, two ELDKWA epitopes.
14. The virus of claim 13 wherein the two nef(BRU)CTL and three pol(IIIB)CTL epitopes are: CTL1, CTL2, pol1, pol2 and pol3.
15. The virus of claim 12 wherein the ELDKWA or LDKW epitopes are expressed as part of a region of gp120 or a region of gp160.
16. The virus of claim 15 wherein the ELDKWA or LDKWA epitopes are expressed as part of gp120 V3.
17. A modified recombinant avipox virus which is modified so that it has attenuated virulence in a host; and, which contains exogenous DNA in a nonessential region of the virus genome, said exogenous DNA encoding at least one immunodeficiency virus epitope.
18. The virus of claim 17 wherein said virus is a canarypox virus.
19. The virus of claim 18 wherein the canarypox virus is a Rentschler vaccine strain which was attenuated through more than 200 serial passages on chick embryo fibroblasts, a master seed therefrom was subjected to four successive plaque purifications under agar, from which a plaque clone was amplified through five additional passages.
20. The virus of claim 18 which is an ALVAC recombinant virus.
21. The virus of claim 18 wherein the exogenous DNA codes for at least one of: HIV1gag(pro)(IIIB), gp120(MN)(transmembrane), nef(BRU)CTL, pol(IIIB)CTL, and ELDKWA or LDKW epitopes.
22. The virus of claim 18 wherein the exogenous DNA codes for at least one of: HIV1gag(pro)(IIIB), gp120(MN)(transmembrane), two nef(BRU)CTL and three pol(IIIB)CTL epitopes; or two ELKDWA epitopes.
23. The virus of claim 21 wherein the ELDKWA or LDKWA epitopes are expressed as part of a region of gp120 or a region of gp160.
24. The virus of claim 23 wherein the ELDKWA or LDKWA epitopes are expressed as part of gp120 V3.
25. The virus of claim 22 wherein the two nef(BRU)CTL and three pol(IIIB)CTL epitopes are: CTL1, CTL2, pol1, pol2 and pol3.
26. The virus of claim 21 which is vCP205 (ALVAC-MN120TMG), vCP264 (ALVAC-MN120TMGN), vCP300 (ALVAC-MN120TMGNP), or vCP1307.
27. vP1313 or vP1319.
28. A method for treating a patient in need of immunological treatment or of inducing an immunological response in an individual comprising administering to said patient or individual a composition comprising a virus as claimed in any one of claims 1, 12, 14, 21, 26 or 27 in admixture with a suitable carrier.
28. A composition for inducing an immunological response comprising a virus as claimed in any one of claims 1, 12, 14, 21, 26 or 27 in admixture with a suitable carrier.
29. A method for expressing a gene product in a cell cultured in vitro comprising introducing into the cell a virus as claimed in any one of claims 1, 12, 14, 21, 26 or 27.
29. An immunodeficiency virus antigen prepared from in vitro expression of a virus as claimed in any one of claims 1, 12, 14, 19, 22 or 23.
30. An antibody elicited by in vivo expression of an antigen from a virus as claimed in any one of claims 1, 12, 14, 19, 22 or 23 or, by administration of an immunodeficiency virus associated antigen from in vitro expression of the virus.
31. An HIV immunogen selected from the group consisting of: HIV1gag(pro)(IIIB), gp120(MN)(transmembrane), nef(BRU)CTL, pol(IIIB)CTL, and ELDKWA or LDKW epitopes.
32. The HIV immunogen of claim 31 wherein the ELDKWA or LDKWA is part of a region of gp120 or a region of gp160.
33. The HIV immunogen of claim 32 wherein the ELDKWA or LDKWA is part of gp120 V3.
34. A gp120 or gp160 modified so as to contain an epitope not naturally occurring in gp120 or gp160.
35. The gp120 or gp160 of claim 34 modified so as to contain a B-cell epitope not naturally occurring in gp120 or gp160.
36. The gp120 or gp160 or claim 34 which is a gp120 modified in the V3 loop so as to contain an epitope not naturally occurring on the gp120 V3 loop.
37. The gp160 or gp120 of claim 36 wherein teh epitope is a B-cell epitope.
38. The gp160 or gp120 or claim 36 wherein the eiptope is ELDKWA or LDKWA.
39. The gp160 or gp120 of claim 34 which is a gp120 modified to contain at least one of HIV1gag(pro)(IIIB), gp120(MN) (transmembrane), nef(BRU)CTL, pol(IIIB)CTL, and ELDKWA or LDKW epitopes.
40. The gp160 of gp120 of claim 39 wherein the gp120 is modified in the V3 loop to contain the epitope.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An electrical connector for use in an electronic device comprising:
a body having a plurality of slots; and
a plurality of conductive fingers at least partially positioned in the plurality of slots, each finger including:
a first portion that extends from the corresponding slot to compressively engage and electrically connect with a contact pad of a component of the electronic device; and
a second portion that electrically connects with a portion of a printed circuit board of the electronic device.
2. The electrical connector as defined in claim 1, wherein the body generally defines a rectangular block.
3. The electrical connector as defined in claim 1, wherein one finger is positioned in a corresponding one of the slots.
4. The electrical connector as defined in claim 1, wherein the first portion is arcuately shaped.
5. The electrical connector as defined in claim 1, wherein the first portion includes an arcuate segment and a flat segment.
6. The electrical connector as defined in claim 1, wherein the second portion includes a pin for engaging a hole in the printed circuit board.
7. The electrical connector as defined in claim 1, wherein the second portion electrically connects with contact pads on the printed circuit board.
8. The electrical connector as defined in claim 1, wherein the second portion is positioned on a face of the body not having one of the slots defined thereon.
9. An optical transceiver module, comprising:
a housing at least partially containing:
at least one electronic component;
a printed circuit board; and
an electrical connector that electrically connects the at least one electronic component with the printed circuit board, the electrical connector including:
a thermoplastic body; and
a plurality of conductive fingers attached to the body, each finger including:
a first portion that extends from a first face of the body to engage a corresponding conductive surface of the at least one electronic component; and
a second portion positioned on a second face of the body to engage a conductive surface of the printed circuit board.
10. The optical transceiver module as defined in claim 9, wherein the body is composed of a thermoplastic having a melting point above reflow temperature of solder used on the printed circuit board.
11. The optical transceiver module as defined in claim 9, wherein the at least one electronic component is an optical subassembly having at least one of an optical transmitter and an optical receiver.
12. The optical transceiver module as defined in claim 9, wherein the first portion of each finger is arcuately shaped to compressively engage the corresponding conductive surface of the optical subassembly when the optical transceiver module is assembled.
13. The optical transceiver module as defined in claim 12, wherein the first portion of each finger is resiliently formed such that the finger is restored to a predetermined shape when the compressive engagement with the optical subassembly is removed.
14. The optical transceiver module as defined in claim 13, wherein the fingers are uniformly sized, and wherein the slots are uniformly sized.
15. An electrical connector for electrically connecting a printed circuit board to an optical subassembly in an optical transceiver module, the electrical connector comprising:
a thermoplastic body;
a plurality of conductive fingers attached to the body, each conductive finger including:
an arcuately shaped first portion from a corresponding one of a plurality of slots defined in at least a first face of the body so as to electrically connect with a conductive surface of the optical subassembly; and
a second portion positioned on a second face of the body to electrically connect with a conductive surface of the printed circuit board, the second portion being in electrical communication with the first portion.
16. The electrical connector as defined in claim 15, wherein each finger is a continuous ribbon that defines the first portion and the second portion, and wherein a portion of the ribbon is molded with the body.
17. The electrical connector as defined in claim 15, wherein each of the slots is defined on both the first face and an adjacent third face.
18. The electrical connectors as defined in claim 17, wherein the first and second faces are parallel, and wherein the first and third faces are orthogonal.
19. The electrical connectors as defined in claim 15, wherein the optical subassembly is a single component including both an optical transmitter and an optical receiver.
20. The electrical connector as defined in claim 15, wherein the first portion of each finger compressively engages a corresponding contact pad of the optical subassembly such electrical connection between the first portion and the contact pad is achieved without the use of solder or adhesives.
21. The electrical connector as defined in claim 20, wherein the second portion of each finger defines a pin that engages a corresponding hole defined in the printed circuit board.
22. An electrical connector for electrically connecting a first circuit board to a second circuit board, the electrical connector comprising:
a body having a plurality of slots;
a plurality of conductive fingers for defining signal paths between the first and second printed circuit boards, each finger including:
a first portion at least partially positioned in one of the slots so as to extend from a first face of the body and form a resilient contact point, the contact point electrically connecting with a contact pad of the first printed circuit board; and
a second portion positioned at a second face of the body that is opposite the first face, the second portion electrically connecting with a contact pad of the second printed circuit board.
23. The electrical connector as defined in claim 22, wherein the first portion compressively engages the contact pad of the first printed circuit board.
24. The electrical connector as defined in claim 22, wherein the body is mechanically attached to at least one of the first and second printed circuit boards.