Development of CEA--Targeted Gene Transfer Vectors

There is presently a great deal of interest in developing efficient, nontoxic, cell-specific gene tSpecifically, there has been a focused interest in the development of nonviral vectors which have setheir viral counterparts in that they cannot reconvert, they can be designed to carry a variety of gcan be modified with target vectors without disruption of activity. Recent work in collaboration witMichigan Medical School has shown that STARBURST dendrimer polymers (STARBURST is a trademark of DenInc.) can be used to mediate highly efficient genetic material of any size or form into cells. In thwill be utilized to (l) design and develop new Starburst dendrimer polymers for improving the efficiinto cells, (2) make conjugates of dendrimers with antibodies that would bind and direct genetic matadenocarcinoma cells that express CEA, and (3) examine the efficiency and specificity of these diffefor transferring DNA into adenocarcinoma cell lines that express different levels of CEA. This willvector to deliver therapeutic forms of nucleic acid to adenocarcinoma cells.