Cell targeted phagemid rescued by preselected landscape phage

We have developed a gene delivery system that utilizes a cell-binding helper phage preselected from a landscape phage display library, and a phagemid harboring a marker gene and all regulatory elements (origins of replication and promoter-enhancer cassettes) necessary for replication of the phagemid and expression of the marker gene in the targeted cell. All the proteins required for encapsulation of the phagemid DNA and cell targeting are provided by the phage helper and are separate from the phagemid. Therefore, the resultant Phagemid Infective Particles (PIPs) are able to bind and infect target cells and express the marker gene from within the cell. Our approach, shown here for glioma cells, differs from others in that a phagemid expressing a model marker or particular therapeutic gene can be easily exchanged for a phagemid expressing a different therapeutic gene. Also, a different helper phage, selected from a phage display library, such as the f8-8-mer landscape library used here, can target any cell type and direct the encapsulation of any therapeutic gene encoding phagemid. Because of its versatility, the PIPs system may be readily used for optimization of the gene-delivery strategies applied to specific cell and tissue targets.