Protection from ionizing irradiation or chemotherapeutic drug damage by in vivo gene therapy
AssigneeUniversity of Pittsburgh
InventorJoel S. Greenberger
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Abstract
A method of protecting a subject against an agent that elicits production of toxic free radicals, superoxide anions, or heavy metal cations in the subject is disclosed which entails in vivo administration to the subject of a polynucleotide encoding a protein that is transiently expressed in said subject. The transiently expressed protein is capable of neutralizing or eliminating the toxic free radicals, superoxide anions or heavy metal cations that are elicited by the agent. The method is particularly useful in protecting cancer patients against the damaging effects of ionizing radiation and chemotherapeutic drugs. A composition useful in carrying out the method also is disclosed.
Claims29
A method for protecting a subject against an agent that elicits production of a toxic species when said subject is exposed to said agent, wherein said toxic species is selected from the group consisting of a free radical, a superoxide anion, and a heavy metal cation, said method comprising the step of administering to said subject in vivo a pharmaceutical composition comprising
- (A) a polynucleotide that encodes a protein that is transiently expressed in said subject, wherein said protein is capable of neutralizing or eliminating said toxic species;
- and
- (B) a pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle for said polynucleotide
- wherein said administering is a local administration at the site to be protected from said agent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.