Container/Closure Integrity Testing and the Identification of a Suitable Vial/Stopper Combination for Low-Temperature Storage at -80 {degrees}C.

Unlabelled: It was recently found that after storage of a live viral vaccine at -80 °C in glass vials closed with rubber stoppers, a phenomenon was revealed which had not been observed before with other viral products stored at -20 °C: overpressure in the vials. As this phenomenon poses a serious safety problem for medical personnel as well as for the product itself, an investigation was initiated to identify the root cause of the overpressure. After exclusion of possible root causes (differences in air temperature or atmospheric air pressure during filling and quality control testing, outgassing from the formulation buffer) the remaining hypothesis involved a possible container closure integrity issue at low temperature.

Titer determination of Ad5 in blood: a cautionary note.

Recombinant adenoviruses are presently the most efficient in vivo gene transfer system available. Targeting single organs or large tumors by adenoviral vectors requires an intravascular route of application. During the first pass of viral particles through the vascular bed of the target tissue, virus uptake is not quantitative and indefinite amounts of particles leak into circulation.

Coexpression of p21(WAF1/CIP1) in adenovirus vector transfected human primary hepatocytes prevents apoptosis resulting in improved transgene expression.

Replication-deficient adenovirus (Ad vector) is one of the most effective gene transfer systems. However, its employment in human gene therapy trials is hampered by Ad vector associated cytotoxicity and induction of apoptosis of the infected cells. Here, we identify one underlying mechanism as uncoupling of S phase and mitosis of the cell cycle leading to apoptosis and decline of transgene expression.

Hammerhead ribozyme-mediated cleavage of the fusion transcript NPM-ALK associated with anaplastic large-cell lymphoma.

Objective: Approximately 60% of all anaplastic large-cell lymphomas (ALCL) contain a specific t(2;5)(p23;q35) chromosomal translocation leading to overexpression of NPM-ALK. As the chimeric tyrosine kinase is involved in tumorigenesis and pathogenesis of ALCL, we were interested to inhibit NPM-ALK expression using an exogenous and an endogenous ribozyme approach.

Methods: We designed five anti-ALK hammerhead ribozymes that were targeted to cleave the ALK proportion of NPM-ALK.

Complement activation by recombinant adenoviruses.

Recombinant adenoviruses are currently the most important vector system in gene therapy. Adenoviruses frequently cause upper respiratory tract infections in humans and anti-adenoviral antibodies are found in 35-70% of the population. Therefore in the majority of potential patients receiving adenoviral gene therapy, the contact of virus particles and blood will lead to the formation of antigen-antibody complexes.