Most research and clinical efforts to date have used retroviruses as drug delivery vehicles, particularly to deliver genes to hematopoi-etic cells. However, in many cases, expression of recombinant retrovirus vectors in undifferentiated cells has been suppressed. In addition, retroviruses are quite labile, grow to relatively low titers, are difficult to handle without significant infectivity loss and exhibit o limited host range. Despite progress made to date, there is still a need for a gene delivery vehicle that target appropriate cell types and that elicits gene expression in desired cell types. There is also a need for a gene delivery vehicle that effects transient gene therapy.
Autonomous parvoviruses are small DNA viruses that replicate autonomously in rapidly dividing cells.
The present invention relates to novel recombinant autonomous parvovirus vectors, novel recombinant virus particles, and novel gene delivery vehicles that can be used to selectively target foreign nucleic acid sequences to desired cell types and to selectively express such sequences in such desired cell types, Recombinant autonomous parvovirus gene delivery vehicles are particularly advantageous for transient gene therapy, and are especially well-suited to treat diseases in which there is rapid cell growth, such as cancer, due to autonomous parvoviruses' tropism for rapidly dividing calls. Also included is the use of recombinant vectors of the present invention to produce RNA and protein products in cell culture.