UF researchers develop improved gene the...(rs are creating additional new vectors b...)

Date:5/19/2008

rs are creating additional new vectors based on this concept, with the goal of creating what Srivastava calls a perfect vector that lacks all seven phosphate-attracting tyrosines. They are also teaming with University of North Carolina researchers to test the vectors in dogs with hemophilia. If these studies are successful, the vector could be used in human gene therapy trials.

In addition to being more efficient, the new version of AAV could also prove to be more economical, Srivastava said. Current gene therapy trials are expensive because scientists must administer so much of the vector containing the therapeutic gene to see results. Using the new vector, scientists could potentially scale back to using as little as 100 billion particles instead of 10 trillion, Srivastava said.

I think this is a very promising step forward, said John Engelhardt, Ph.D., the director of the University of Iowa Center for Gene Therapy, who was not involved with the study but also plans to use the UF-developed vector in upcoming research. From a basic biological standpoint, this clarifies our understanding of how the virus acts in the cell. The more we understand, the better we are going to be at engineering viruses for use in humans.

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Contact: April Frawley Birdwell afrawley@ufl.edu 352-273-5817 University of Florida Source:Eurekalert

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