| abstract |
The present invention relates to the field of therapeutic immunization, specifically with the use of a novel hepatitis B virus (HBV) antigen formulation for cell stimulation. The formulation is formed by HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) and nucleocapsid antigen (HBcAg) precipitates in suspension. The formulation contains said antigens as precipitates in suspension as particles with sizes less than 500 nm and greater than 500 nm, in a mixture in which the proportion between the particles of the sizes mentioned is between 50% - 50% and 80% - 20%, respectively. The selection of a range of particle sizes allows the levels of stimulation of various cell types to be maximized. In addition, a description is given of a method for cell stimulation using said formulation and the subsequent passive immunization of patients with chronic hepatitis B, based on the maximum in vivo or in vitro stimulation of heterologous or autologous cells (dendritic cells, B cells and macrophages). The cells stimulated with this formulation are transferred to patients with a chronic HBV infection. |