Abstracts

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Zinc-Finger Nucleases: A Panoramic View
Dana Carroll

Zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) are emerging as very powerful tools for directed genome modifications. Their key features are: a DNA-binding domain comprised of zinc fingers that can be designed to favor very specific targets; a nonspecific cleavage domain that must dimerize to cut DNA - this requirement enhances specificity and minimizes random cleavage. ZFNs have been shown to be effective in a wide range of organisms and cell types. This article reviews discoveries that led to the development of ZFNs, cites examples of successes in genome engineering, and projects how ZFNs may be used in the future, particularly in applications to humans.


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Salmonella as Live Trojan Horse for Vaccine Development and Cancer Gene Therapy
Maria Moreno, M. Gabriela Kramer, Lucia Yim and Jose A. Chabalgoity

The design of efficient vectors for vaccine development and cancer gene therapy is an area of intensive research. Bacteria-based vectors are being investigated as optimal vehicles for antigen and therapeutic gene delivery to immune and tumour cells. Attenuated Salmonella strains have shown great potential as live vectors with broad applications in human and veterinary medicine. An impressively large, and still growing, number of reports published over the last two decades have demonstrated the effectiveness in animal models of Salmonella-based therapies for the prevention and treatment of infectious and non-infectious diseases, as well as cancer. Further, the recent dramatic expansion in knowledge of genetics, biology and pathogenesis of the bacteria allows more rational design of Salmonella constructs tailored for specific applications. However, only few clinical trials have been conducted so far, and although they have conclusively demonstrated the safety of this system, the results on immunogenicity are less than optimal. Thus, more research particularly in target species is required to bring this system closer to human and veterinary use.

In this review we first describe some particularities of the bacteria and its relationship with the host that could be on the basis of its success as vector, and then summarize the different strategies used so far to develop Salmonella-based vaccines for infectious diseases as well as for non-traditional indications such as prion and Alzheimer disease vaccination. Finally, we review the many different approaches that employ Salmonella for the design of new therapies for cancer.


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Listeria monocytogenes as a Vector for Anti-Cancer Therapies
Mark Tangney and Cormac G.M. Gahan

The intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes represents a promising therapeutic vector for the delivery of DNA, RNA or protein to cancer cells or to prime immune responses against tumour-specific antigens. A number of biological properties make L. monocytogenes a promising platform for development as a vector for either gene therapy or as an anti-cancer vaccine vector. L. monocytogenes is particularly efficient in mediating internalization into host cells. Once inside cells, the bacterium produces specific virulence factors which lyse the vaculolar membrane and allow escape into the cytoplasm. Once in the cytosol, L. monocytogenes is capable of actin-based motility and cell-to-cell spread without an extracellular phase. The cytoplasmic location of L. monocytogenes is significant as this potentiates entry of antigens into the MHC Class I antigen processing pathway leading to priming of specific CD8+ T cell responses. The cytoplasmic location is also beneficial for the delivery of DNA (bactofection) by L. monocytogenes whilst cell-to-cell spread may facilitate access of the vector to cells throughout the tumour. Several preclinical studies have demonstrated the ability of L. monocytogenes for intracellular gene or protein delivery in vitro and in vivo, and this vector has also displayed safety and efficacy in clinical trial. Here, we review the features of the L. monocytogenes host-pathogen interaction that make this bacterium such an attractive candidate with which to induce appropriate therapeutic responses. We focus primarily upon work that has led to attenuation of the pathogen, demonstrated DNA, RNA or protein delivery to tumour cells as well as research that shows the efficacy of L. monocytogenes as a vector for tumour-specific vaccine delivery.


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Potential Cancer Gene Therapy by Baculoviral Transduction
Shu Wang and Ghayathri Balasundaram

Many different types of therapeutic genes, ranging from suicide genes, tumor suppressor genes, to genes encoding tumor-specific antigens, have been successfully delivered by insect baculoviral vectors to treat tumours in animal models. These encouraging results observed to date underscore the potential for using the non-human baculovirus to combat human cancer. The present review outlines the advances in this area and highlights the challenges behind translating the findings from research with baculoviral vectors into clinical practice.


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In Vivo Application and Tracking of Baculovirus
Kari J. Airenne, Kaisa-Emilia Makkonen, Anssi J. Mahonen and Seppo Yla-Herttuala

Baculoviruses are safe and high-capacity vectors for gene delivery which have matured from the initial successful experiments performed in liver cells into convenient tools to transduce almost any cell from any origin in vitro and ex vivo. This is a result of 15 years of intensive vector development as well as studies performed in vertebrate cells to reveal important factors affecting the transduction efficacy. Now, at the stage when the first evidence of meaningful use of baculoviruses for therapeutic applications has been reported, there is no doubt that the technology will meet the expectations as highly useful platform for many applications of gene delivery. This review summarizes the pre-clinical in vivo work carried out with baculoviruses and discusses remaining challenges which still need to be solved.


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Baculovirus Gene Delivery: A Flexible Assay Development Tool
Thomas A. Kost, J. Patrick Condreay and Robert S. Ames

Modern drug discovery programs utilize a wide variety of technologies to aid in identification of potential drug targets, and progress them through the often long and winding path of finding novel drug-like molecules. Recombinant cell-based assays are an important tool in the drug discovery process for investigating the biological mechanisms of potential drug targets and conducting screening campaigns in the hunt for biologically active molecules. Historically, stable cell lines expressing the target protein(s) of interest have been used for these assays. Although such cell lines can be useful, their development can be laborious and the resulting cell line affords little experimental flexibility. Transient gene expression approaches provide an alternative to the often tedious task of developing and maintaining numerous stable cell lines. Recently the unique properties of modified baculoviruses, containing mammalian expression cassettes and referred to as BacMam viruses, have been exploited to facilitate rapid and reproducible transient cell-based assay development. This review will focus on the many features of BacMam virus gene delivery that make it a powerful system for cell-based assay development and screening.


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Host Innate Immune Responses Induced by Baculovirus in Mammals
Takayuki Abe and Yoshiharu Matsuura

The baculovirus Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus has been widely used not only to achieve a high level of foreign gene expression in insect cells but also for efficient gene transduction into mammalian cells without any replication. In addition to the efficient gene delivery, baculovirus has been shown to induce host innate immune responses in various mammalian cells and in mice. The baculovirus has abundant CpG motifs in the viral genome and is capable of inducing pro-inflammatory cytokines and interferons through Toll-like receptor-dependent and -independent signaling pathways in a cell-type-specific manner. The baculovirus also has a strong adjuvant activity, and recombinant baculoviruses encoding neutralization epitopes elicit protective immunity in mice. This review deals with the current status of our knowledge of the induction of host innate immune responses by baculovirus and discusses the future prospects for baculovirus vectors.


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Electroporation Gene Therapy Preclinical and Clinical Trials for Melanoma
Loree C. HellerandRichard Heller

In vivo electroporation (EP) is a versatile delivery method for gene transfer which can be applied to any accessible tissue. Delivery of plasmid DNA encoding therapeutic genes or cDNAs with in vivo EP has been tested extensively in preclinical melanoma models. Direct delivery to the tumor has been shown to generate a direct antitumor effect. Delivery to alternative sites may generate additional therapeutic options, for example the production of cancer vaccines, the reduction of tumor angiogenesis, or the induction of tumor cell apoptosis. Several of the preclinical therapies tested have a demonstrated therapeutic effect against melanomas. Two immunotherapies have advanced to melanoma clinical trials. Delivery of a plasmid DNA encoding interleukin-12 (IL-12) or interleukin-2 (IL-2) using electroporation was demonstrated to be safe with no grade 3 or 4 toxicities reported. Delivery of IL-12 with electroporation resulted in significant necrosis of melanoma cells in the majority of treated tumors and significant lymphocytic infiltrate in biopsies from patients in several cohorts. In addition, clinical evidence of responses in untreated lesions suggested the induction of a systemic response following therapy. This review discusses preclinically tested electroporation gene therapies for melanoma with clinical potential and the conversion of these therapies to clinical trials.


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Gene Electrotransfer to Skin; Review of Existing Literature and Clinical Perspectives
Anita Gothelf and Julie Gehl

Gene electrotransfer, which designates the combination of gene transfer and electroporation, is a non-viral means for transfecting genes into cells and tissues. It is a safe and efficient method and reports regarding the use of this technique in a variety of animal models and organs have been published in the literature. We find that gene electrotransfer to skin is of particular interest; not only due to the easy accessibility of this organ, which renders both treatment and evaluation feasible, but also the capability of the skin to produce transgenes and elicit immunological responses. Up to now more than 40 papers have been published in which gene electrotransfer was the technique used for gene transfection to skin in vivo. The aim of this review is to summarize which plasmids were injected and the electrical parameters applied. Furthermore an overview of the clinical perspectives of gene electrotransfer to skin will be presented.