Inventors:
Steven M. Tracy - Omaha NE
Nora M. Chapman - Omaha NE
Peter Kolbeck - Carmichael CA
James M. Malone - Redwood CA
Assignee:
Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska - Lincoln NE
International Classification:
C12N 1586, C12N 1563, C12N 1519, C07H 2104
Abstract:
The present invention is drawn to the use of attenuated Coxsackievirus cardiotropic virus vectors as efficient gene transfer vectors to deliver immunomodulatory or other biologically active proteins and/or antigenic epitopes in transient infections to aid in preventing, ameliorating, and/or ablating infectious viral heart disease and reducing, or ablating entirely, heart transplant rejection. Additionally, other organs or tissues may be targeted with specific picornaviruses. In particular, an attenuated CVB3 viral vector able to express a cytokine is provided. This cytokine-expressing viral vector is able to deliver the cytokine to a target tissue and reduce disease symptoms.