In what Viagene Inc. believes could be the first application ofretroviral gene transfer to the prevention of a parasitic disease,the company announced Tuesday an agreement to work withU.S. Army researchers on vaccines against malaria and otherinfectious diseases

Viagene of San Diego is to supply proprietary retroviral vectorsin a collaboration with the Walter Reed Army Institute ofResearch in Washington, D.C.

Viagene's proprietary gene transfer technology will be used todeliver into cells the genes from the parasite that causesmalaria. By causing the production within the cells of antigenicproteins, researchers aim to stimulate the immune system toproduce disease-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs),or killer T-cells.

Under the agreement, Viagene receives exclusive rights of firstrefusal to license any technology resulting from thecollaboration. But perhaps more importantly, the company getsthe opportunity to demonstrate the ability of its gene transfertechnology to arouse a CTL immune response to combatdisease.

"The agreement allows Viagene to extend the use of itsproprietary gene transfer technology to a new and challengingarea -- the prevention of parasitic disease," said Robert T.Abbott, president and chief executive officer of the privatelyheld company.

The Walter Reed Institute is to supply the genes and to test theefficacy of a product in laboratory and animal models. Theinitial phase of the program, to identify and test CTL epitopes,is expected to take at least two years, Abbott said. These CTLepitopes could become the basis for a recombinant vaccine anda genetic therapy, he said.

Epitopes might spur a broader immune response againstmalaria than the antibody epitopes that traditionally have beentargeted by vaccine developers.

While emphasizing its preliminiary nature, Abbott said theresearch could show that "the versatility of gene transfer is alot broader than people are envisioning right now." Bytransferring a genetic component into the cell, the strategy isspecific and closely keyed to the body's own immune response.

Abbott also thinks that the approach might have a betterchance for producing a vaccine that would be effective againstthe many strains of malaria, he said. Judging from Viagene'ssimilar work with gene transfer technology to develop an HIVimmunotherapeutic, "it's more encouraging than discouraging,"he said. Viagene's HIV immunotherapeutic has been approvedfor clinical trials.

Viagene's work in identifying and producing CTLs attractedArmy investigators, Abbott said. "It was the Walter Reed groupthat contacted us."

The project is being conducted under a cooperative researchand development agreement (CRADA), a federal program aimedat accelerating commercialization of discoveries from federalresearch laboratories.

Prinicipal investigators on the project are Lt. Col. W. RipleyBallou, chairman of the institute's department of immunology,and Douglas J. Jolly, Viagene's director of research.

-- Ray Potter Senior Editor

(c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.