Chimeric Virus for Gene Therapy

Their work was reported in the September 2002 issue of the Journal of Virology.

The new virus was developed to replace a previously tested chimeric virus that was made up of a retrovirus coated with vesicular stomatitis virus G protein. While this virus attached to cells, it was found to have severe toxic effects.

After establishing that the RRV glycoproteins were readily incorporated into the FIV virion, the investigators from Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN, USA) and the University of Iowa College of Medicine (Iowa City, USA) injected the new viral combination into mice. They found that for the most part the virus transduced liver cells, and that transduction efficiency was about 20-fold higher than that achieved with the vesicular stomatitis virus G protein (VSV-G) pseudotype. Moreover, in comparison to VSV-G, the RRV glycoproteins caused less cytotoxicity, as determined from the levels of glutamic pyruvic transaminase and glutamic oxalacetic transaminase in serum.

"This represents a major advance in that we have used retroviruses for gene therapy, not just in tissue samples, but in living mice,” said a member of the research team, Dr. David Sanders, associate professor of biologic sciences at Purdue. "Not only were the genes successfully transferred, but the RRV envelope proteins did not damage the cells. This brings us a giant step closer to treating human diseases.”



Related Links:
Purdue University
University of Iowa College of Med.