[Poxvirus vectors for gene transfer]

A promising approach to cancer immunotherapy is immunization with modified tumor cells carrying cytokine or immunomodulatory genes. Cytokine genes (tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin 2, interferon gamma) and costimulatory molecule, B7-1, were incorporated into canarypox virus, ALVAC, which does not replicate in infected mammalian cells, and highly attenuated vaccinia virus, NYVAC. We examined the effect of local cytokine production on the growth of the mouse prostate tumor, RM-1, and the mouse bladder tumor, MBT-2. The vectors expressed the high levels of cytokines and B7-1 and the tumor growth of infected cells was significantly inhibited. The mice immunized with irradiated MBT-2 cells infected with ALVAC-interleukin 2 were protected against the subsequent challenge of parental tumor cells. We conclude that poxvirus vectors are useful for gene delivery in immunotherapy studies because of their infection efficiency, their capability of high gene product expression, their safety, and their case of handling.