Adenovirus vectors, packaging cell lines, compositions, and methods for preparation and use

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods for gene therapy, especially to adenovirus-based gene therapy, and related cell lines and compositions. In particular, novel nucleic acid constructs and packaging cell lines are disclosed, for use in facilitating the development of high-capacity and targeted vectors. The invention also discloses a variety of high-capacity adenovirus vectors and related compositions and kits including the disclosed cell lines and vectors. Finally, the invention discloses methods of preparing and using the disclosed vectors, cell lines and kits.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 482,682 filed Jan. 14, 2000, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,232,899; which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 423,783 filed Jun. 26, 2000, now abandoned; which is a 35 USC § 371 National Stage application of PCT Application No. PCT / EP97 / 05251 filed Sep. 24, 1997; which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 08 / 719,806 filed Sep. 25, 1996, now abandoned. This application is also a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 482,682 filed Jan. 14, 2000, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,232,899; which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 795,292 filed Jan. 14, 1999, now pending; which is a 35 USC § 371 National Stage application of PCT Application No. PCT / EP97 / 05251 filed Sep. 24, 1997; which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 08...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]This invention utilizes recombinant adenovirus constructs which duplicate the cell receptor binding and DNA delivery properties of intact adenovirus virions and thus represents an improved method for gene therapy and cell targeting as well as for antisense-based antiviral therapy.

[0015]Second, the vectors of the present invention have deletions of substantial portions of the Ad genome, which not only limits the ability of the Ad-derived vectors to “spread” to other host cells or tissues, but allows significant amounts of “foreign” (or non-native) nucleic acids to be incorporated into the viral genome without interfering with the reproduction and packaging of the viral genome. Therefore, the vectors of the present invention are ideal for use in a wide variety of therapeutic applications.

[0017]To reduce the frequency of contamination with wild-type adenovirus, it is desirable to improve either the viral vector or the cell line to reduce the probability of recombination. For example, an adenovirus from a group with less homology to the group C viruses may be used to engineer recombinant viruses with little propensity for recombination with the Ad5 sequence contained in the packaging lines. The invention describes the preparation of packaging cells lines which stably expresses adenovirus proteins or polypeptides. These cell lines are useful for complementing viral vectors bearing deletions of regulatory and / or structural genes, irrespective of the serotype from which such a vector was derived.

[0019]Thus, unlike methods and constructs available prior to the advent of the present disclosure, this invention allows the greatest possible flexibility in the design and preparation of useful viral vectors and cell lines which support their construction and propagation—all with a decreased risk of recombining with wild-type Ad to produce potentially-harmful recombinants.

[0020]In part, the present invention discloses a simpler, alternative means of reducing the recombination between viral and cellular sequences than those discussed in the art. One such means is to increase the size of the deletion in the recombinant virus and thereby reduce the extent of shared sequences between that virus and any Ad genes present in a packaging cell line e.g., the Ad5 genes in 293 cells, or the various Ad genes in the novel cell lines of the present invention.

[0022]Contrary to what has been suggested in the art, however, this invention discloses the preparation, propagation and use of recombinant Ad-derived vectors having deletions of all or part of various gene sequences encoding Ad structural proteins, both as away of reducing the risk of wild-type adenovirus contamination in virus preparations, as a way of allowing foreign DNA to be packaged in such vectors for a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic applications and as a way of targeting an adenovirus vector to a specific cell type.

Problems solved by technology

Second, the vectors of the present invention have deletions of substantial portions of the Ad genome, which not only limits the ability of the Ad-derived vectors to “spread” to other host cells or tissues, but allows significant amounts of “foreign” (or non-native) nucleic acids to be incorporated into the viral genome without interfering with the reproduction and packaging of the viral genome.

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