| abstract |
The present invention describes replicative viruses and vectors with improved tumor infectivity and tumor selective replication. The infectivity-enhanced, conditionally-replicative adenoviruses of the present invention are an advanced generation of conditional replicative vectors for cancer gene therapy. Specifically provided is an infectivity-enhanced conditionally-replicative adenovirus, wherein said adenovirus possesses enhanced infectivity towards a specific cell type due to modification or replacement of the fiber of a wildtype adenovirus, wherein said modification or replacement results in enhanced infectivity relative to said wildtype adenovirus, and wherein said infectivity-enhanced conditionally-replicative adenovirus has at least one conditionally regulated early gene, said early gene conditionally regulated such that replication of said infectivity-enhanced conditionally-replicative adenovirus is limited to said specific cell type. |