Patent ID: 8389492

Claim:
A method of administering a DNA composition to a subject comprising administering to said subject a composition reconstituted from a lyophilized DNA formulation comprising, prior to lyophilization, (a) a plasmid DNA comprising a hybrid HGF construct wherein the hybrid HGF construct comprises: (i) a first cDNA which has the same sequence as exons 1-4 of the human HGF gene wherein said exons 1-4 are arranged in sequential order without an intron therebetween, or degenerates thereof which do not alter the amino acid sequence encoded by said first cDNA, (ii) a polynucleotide that has the same sequence as intron 4 of a HGF gene or a fragment thereof, and (iii) a second cDNA which has the same sequence as exons 5-18 of the human HGF gene wherein said exons 5-18 are arranged in sequential order without an intron therebetween, or degenerates thereof which do not alter the amino acid sequence encoded by said second cDNA, wherein (ii) is located between (i) and (iii) and the hybrid HGF construct simultaneously encodes two heterotypes of human HGF, wherein said plasmid DNA is not complexed to a liposome, (b) a salt and (c) a carbohydrate, wherein said administration is intramuscular and HGF expression from the reconstituted lyophilized DNA formulation is higher than expression from said hybrid HGF construct in non-lyophilized form.