Viral- and Non-viral-Based Hybrid Vector Development Service
Efficient intracellular delivery of therapeutic nucleic acids is essential for the success of gene therapy. The emergence of viral and non-viral-based hybrid vector systems offers great potential for the treatment of genetic diseases and acquired diseases. Our company is committed to helping customers develop hybrid vector systems using suitable non-immunogenic nanomaterials to achieve minimal side effects, optimal tissue targeting, and enhanced efficacy. Our specialized scientific services will contribute to the development of novel gene therapies for rare diseases.
Background
To date, viral and non-viral vectors have been widely used as two common strategies for delivering genes of interest to multiple target tissues, and they have been successfully used to treat a variety of genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis, Leber's congenital amaurosis, and various severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Viral vectors are highly efficient at transducing genes but are immunogenic. Non-viral vectors have lower transfection efficiency, but they are generally less immunogenic. Both types of vectors have advantages and disadvantages that hinder their therapeutic endpoints in clinical trials.
To take advantage of the strengths of both types of vectors, researchers have attempted to develop hybrid vector combinations of viral and chemical vectors to achieve higher gene delivery efficiency than individual vectors alone. These hybrid vectors overcome the limitations associated with both delivery systems while enhancing desired features such as low immunogenicity, targeting ability, higher payload, and the ability to deliver multiple transgenes, thus making gene therapy a clinically available technology.
Fig. 1 Hybrid viral nanoparticles. (Mahato M, et al., 2018)
Our Hybrid Vector Development Services
In an attempt to develop hybrid vectors, our researchers have successfully encapsulated viral vectors (AAV, adenovirus, retrovirus/lentivirus) in synthetic materials such as liposomes, dendrimers, and hydrogels, and some of these hybrid vectors have shown significant efficacy in delivering genes. Given the effectiveness of adenovirus in targeting tumor tissue, we have primarily helped our customers develop hybrid vectors using adenovirus.
- Dendrimer-coated virus particles
The hybrid vector has been developed for gene transfer in liver cancer xenograft model from adenovirus coated with poly(amidoamine) dendrimer generation 5 (PAMAM-G5). We help our customers develop such delivery systems using adenoviral hybrid vectors and by coupling them to specific peptides to incorporate targeting capabilities into dendrimer-based hybrid vectors. - Virus particles encapsulated liposomes
Anionic liposome-encapsulated adenoviral-based hybrid vectors have shown promising results for further clinical use in the treatment of cancer. We help our customers prepare anionic liposomal-based encapsulated viral particles by encapsulating adenoviral vectors in anionic bilamellar liposomes composed of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidyletha-nolamine, cholesterol, inositol phospholipids, PEG-2000, and non-toxic lecithin. These vectors provide better transfection efficacy in cancer cells and can be repeatedly administered in vivo without any immunogenic reaction. - Virus vector-laden hydrogels
Virus vector-laden hydrogels such as lentiviruses encapsulated in hydrogels consisting of collagen and hydroxyapatite have been developed to explore better lentiviral transduction profiles. We offer customers a variety of strategies to maximize AAV-tissue contact for highly efficient and sustained gene transfer, such as encapsulating AAV vectors in a nanofiber scaffold consisting of elastin-like polypeptides (ELP) and poly(ε-chelicerolactone) (PCL) or binding superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) coated with heparin to AAV variants.
With extensive experience and expertise in the field of gene delivery vectors, our company is well-positioned to provide technical support and integrated solutions for the development of hybrid vector-based delivery systems consisting of nanoparticles and viral vectors. Such hybrid vectors offer a new and promising avenue for gene therapy of rare diseases. If you are interested in our services, please contact us for more details.
Reference
- Mahato, M.; et al. Viral-and non-viral-based hybrid vectors for gene therapy. Gene and Cell Therapy: Biology and Applications, 2018: 111-130.
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