Vectors for the diagnosis and treatment of solid tumors including melanoma

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicate preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the specific microorganisms grow under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Shigella species, wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are attenuated.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of a single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms grows under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Shigella species, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms is a single colony clone of an isolated population of super-infective, tumor specific microorganisms.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of a single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms grows under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Shigella species, wherein the tumor specific single colony clone is attenuated.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of a single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms grows under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and wherein the single colony clone expresses a suicide gene which gene is controlled by an inducible promoter, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Shigella species.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of a single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which grows under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and wherein the single colony clone expresses a suicide gene which gene is controlled by a bacterial promoter that is activated in specific tumor cells, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Shigella species.

A diagnostic kit comprising an effective amount of a tumor-specific microorganism and instructions for use for in vitro diagnosis of a solid tumor cancer, wherein the tumor specific microorganism is a tumor specific Shigella species.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of an tumor specific microorganisms, which replicate preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the tumor specific microorganisms grow under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Streptococcus species genetically engineered to express a suicide gene.

The method according to claims 54, 63, 60 or 64 wherein the solid tumor cancer is a metastatic cancer.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of a single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms grows under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and wherein the single colony clone expresses a suicide gene which gene is controlled by an inducible promoter, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Streptococcus species genetically engineered to express a suicide gene.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of a single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms that grows under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and wherein the single colony clone expresses a suicide gene which gene is controlled by an inducible promoter, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Streptococcus species genetically engineered to express a suicide gene.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of a single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which grows under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and wherein the single colony clone expresses a suicide gene which gene is controlled by a bacterial promoter that is activated in specific tumor cells, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Streptococcus species genetically engineered to express a suicide gene.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicate preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the tumor specific microorganisms grow under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Streptococcus species, and wherein the administration is oral, topical, intravenous, intraperitoneal, subcutaneous, or intramuscular.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of a single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms grows under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Streptococcus species, and wherein the administration is oral, topical, intravenous, intraperitoneal, subcutaneous, or intramuscular.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of a single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms grows under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and wherein the single colony clone expresses a suicide gene which gene is controlled by an inducible promoter, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Streptococcus species, and wherein the administration is oral, topical, intravenous, intraperitoneal, subcutaneous, or intramuscular.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of a single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which grows under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and wherein the single colony clone expresses a suicide gene which gene is controlled by a bacterial promoter that is activated in specific tumor cells, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Streptococcus species, and wherein the administration is oral, topical, intravenous, intraperitoneal, subcutaneous, or intramuscular.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the tumor specific microorganisms grow under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Listeria monocytogenes, wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are super-infective, tumor specific microorganisms.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicate preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the specific microorganisms grow under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Listeria monocytogenes, wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are attenuated.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of a single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms grows under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Listeria monocytogenes, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms is a single colony clone of an isolated population of super-infective, tumor specific microorganisms.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of a single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms grows under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Listeria monocytogenes, wherein the tumor specific single colony clone is attenuated.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of a single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms grows under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and wherein the single colony clone expresses a suicide gene which gene is controlled by an inducible promoter, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganims are a tumor specific Listeria monocytogenes.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of a single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which grows under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and wherein the single colony clone expresses a suicide gene which gene is controlled by a bacterial promoter that is activated in specified tumor cells, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Listeria monocytogenes.

A diagnostic kit comprising an effective amount of a tumor-specific microorganism and instructions for use for in vitro diagnosis of a solid tumor cancer, wherein the tumor specific microorganism is a tumor specific Listeria monocytogenes.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of a single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms grows under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and wherein the single colony clone expresses a suicide gene which gene is controlled by a constitutive promoter, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Shigella species.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of a single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms grows under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and wherein the single colony clone expresses a suicide gene which gene is controlled by a constitutive promoter, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Streptococcus species genetically engineered to express a suicid gene.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of a single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms grows under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and wherein the single colony clone expresses a suicide gene which gene is controlled by a constitutive promoter, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Streptococcus species, and wherein the administration is oral, topical, intravenous, intraperitoneal, subcutaneous, or intramuscular.

A method for reducing volume or inhibiting growth of a solid tumor cancer, comprising:

• administering an amount of a single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms, which replicates preferentially in the tumor after administration, to a patient having a solid tumor cancer, wherein the single colony clone of an isolated population of tumor specific microorganisms grows under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and wherein the single colony clone expresses a suicide gene which gene is controlled by a constitutive promoter, which amount is effective to reduce volume or inhibit growth of said solid tumor cancer, and wherein the tumor specific microorganisms are a tumor specific Listeria monocytogenes.