Patent ID: 6663857
Filing Date: 2003-12-16
Classification: A61K,A61P,C12N

Abstract:
A method of transferring in vivo a tK gene into tumor cells in order to kill the tumor cells comprising:(a) introducing a retroviral vector into producer cells, wherein the producer cells comprise a provirus lacking a packaging signal required for encapsidation of RNA transcripts of the provirus into mature virus particles and wherein the retroviral vector comprises an intact packaging signal sequence, the retroviral vector having (i) the tK gene, and (ii) at least one gene required for replication of the retroviral vector into producer cells such that integration of the proviral DNA corresponding to the retroviral vector into the genome of the producer cells results in the generation of a modified retrovirus wherein at least one of the genes required for replication of the retroviral vector is replaced by the tK gene; (b) selecting producer cells from step (a) carrying the tk gene; (c) grafting the producer cells in proximity to the dividing tumor cells in order to infect the tumor cells with the modified retrovirus being produced by the producer cells, thereby transferring the tK gene to the tumor cells; and (d) killing the tumor cells by administering a substance that is metabolized by the expression product of the tk gene transferred to the tumor cells into a metabolite that kills the tumor cells.