The Penn State Research Foundation

Other

Merck + Co., Inc.

Clawnor, Inc.

Craig M Meyers

Samina Alam

Kathrin Ute Jansen

Robert S Lowe

Gary A Clawson

Michelle A Ozbun

Michelle Kaupas

Laimonis A Laimins

David Drubin

Molly McLaughlin-Drubin

Jiaping Zhang

According to the invention, parvoviruses such as the adeno-associated virus Type 2 (AAV2) are found to be oncolytic, selectively mediating apoptosis in cancer cells and their precursors, while leaving healthy cells intact. The invention also includes a method of killing cancer and other neoplastic and preneoplastic cells by administrating to said cells the AAV2 proteins Rep78 or Rep 68, expression constucts encoding the same, or pharmaceutical compositions comprising the same.

Parvovirus methods and compositions for killing neoplastic cells

According to the invention, parvoviruses such as the adeno-associated virus Type 2 (AAV2) are found to be oncolytic, selectively mediating apoptosis in cancer cells and their precursers, while leaving healthy cells intact. The invention thus comprises a method of killing cancer and other neoplastic and preneoplastic cells by administration of AAV2 virus, viral particles, products or replication incompetent vectors derived there from to said cells, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the same.

In the US about &#x2153; of college women show evidence of HPV infection. The clinical problem may be even larger in developing countries. There are currently no effective therapies for HPV infections, aside from therapeutic cone biopsies, which often are followed by recurrent, progressive lesions. Thus, pharmaceutical compositions and processes for treatment of an HPV infection are detailed. In particular, a pharmaceutical composition for inhibiting growth of a human papilloma virus-infected cell is provided which includes a peptide halomethyl ketone inhibitor of a chymotrypsin or chymotrypsin-like protease and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. A preferred inhibitor is AAPFcmk.

Compositions and methods for inhibiting abnormal cell growth

This invention relates to infectious chimeric papillomaviruses, and especially those where the early genes are from human papillomavirus (HPV) 18, and the late genes are from another HPV. Also presented are methods of culturing the virus in raft cell cultures, and to assays utilizing these chimeric viruses.

Production of chimeric human papillomavirus

The present invention provides a process of biosynthesizing papillomavirus by inducing complete differentiation of an epithelial cell that contains papillomavirus DNA. Complete differentiation is induced by exposing epithelial cells to a protein kinase C inducer. Assays for screening agents that modify papillomavirus biosynthesis, determining the papillomavirus infectivity of epithelial cells, detecting the presence of anti-papillomavirus antibodies and vaccinating against papillomavirus infection are also provided.

Papillomavirus: biosynthetic process and assays

Expression vectors that include reporter genes and an operable regulatory region containing a promoter and E2 binding sites of papillomavirus (PV), are used to detect and/or titer papillomavirus by quantitative or qualitative methods.

Methods for detecting, titering, and determining susceptibility to

Artificial systems for the production of infectious human papillomavirus allow development of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies based on replication and infectivity studies for diseases caused by these viruses. The artificial introduction of papillomavirus genomic DNA into an epithelial cell line. In particular, HPV type 18 genomic DNA is transfected into primary keratinocytes. Transfection is followed by clonal expansion of the transfected cells, and induction of epithelial stratification and differentiation in organotypic cultures resulting in the synthesis of virions. Virus particles synthesized were approximately 50 nanometers in diameter as observed by electron microscopy. In particular HPV18 virions produced by the system and purified by an isopycnic gradient were capable of infecting keratinocytes.

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Hummelstown, PA, United States of America

Craig M Meyers