Coxsackie virus as a vector for delivery of anti-inflammatory cytokines

摘要

The present invention is drawn to the use of artificially attenuated Coxsackievirus B3 cardiotropic virus vectors as efficient gene transfer vectors to deliver immunomodulatory 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. 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