Biography
Biography: Michael A. Barry
Abstract
Replication-competent adenoviral (RC-Ad) vectors generate exceptionally strong gene expression and vaccine responses by amplifying the transgenes they carry up to 10,000-fold. While they are potent, they also risk causing adenovirus infections in patients or health care workers. More common replication-defective Ad (RD-Ad) vectors with deletions of E1 avoid this risk . However, RD-Ads do not replicate transgene and generate markedly weaker expression. We recently engineered “single-cycle” adenovirus (SC-Ad) vectors that still replicate their genomes and the transgenes they carry, but that do not generate infectious progeny. Tests in animal models demonstrate SC-Ads mediate more robust expression and immune responses than RD-Ads. In primary human cells, SC-Ads require 33-fold less vector to equal expression mediated by an RD-Ad. These Ads replicate transgenes in mice, hamsters, ferrets, bovine, sheep, non-human primates, and of course humans. This suggests that they may have utility as vaccines or therapies against infectious agents, cancer, and other applications in an array of species.
