US 5,691,177 A · Recombinant retroviruses expressing a protein that converts a pro-drug into a cytotoxic agent

Abstract

Recombinant retroviruses carrying a vector construct capable of preventing, inhibiting, stabilizing or reversing infectious, cancerous or auto-immune diseases are disclosed. More specifically, the recombinant retroviruses of the present invention are useful for (a) stimulating a specific immune response to an antigen or a pathogenic antigen; (b) inhibiting a function of a pathogenic agent, such as a virus; and (c) inhibiting the interaction of an agent with a host cell receptor. In addition, eucaryotic cells infected with, and pharmaceutical compositions containing such a recombinant retrovirus are disclosed. Various methods for producing recombinant retroviruses having unique characteristics, and methods for producing transgenic packaging animals or insects are also disclosed.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A method for treating human lymphocytes ex vivo to render said lymphocytes susceptible to being diminished or eliminated, comprising:

a) removing human lymphocytes from the peripheral blood of a human;
and
b) infecting the lymphocytes ex vivo with a replication defective recombinant retrovirus to produce infected lymphocytes, said recombinant retrovirus comprising a recombinant gene operably linked to a promoter for expression in said lymphocytes, said gene encoding a protein which is not normally expressed in said lymphocytes and which converts a prodrug into a cytotoxic agent, whereby when said infected lymphocytes are exposed to said prodrug, said protein expressed therein converts said prodrug to a cytotoxic agent, killing said lymphocytes.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Recombinant retroviruses expressing a protein that converts a pro-drug into a cytotoxic agent

Life of this patent

Recombinant retroviruses expressing a protein that converts a pro-drug into a cytotoxic agent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24