Oncolytic herpes simplex virus and therapeutic uses thereof

• US 9,623,059 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2012
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Benevir Biopharm, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson), New York University
• Original Assignee: Benevir Biopharm, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson), New York University
• Inventors: Mohr, Ian J., Mulvey, Matthew C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gill, Rachel B
• Application Number:
  US14/343,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20150110822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 2039/5256 expressing foreign proteins
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 2039/572 cytotoxic response
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 2039/585 wherein the target is cancer
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 35/763 Herpes virus
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 35/00 Antineoplastic agents
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/86 Viral vectors
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 2710/16632 Use of virus as therapeutic agent, other than vaccine, e.g. as cytolytic agent
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 7/00 Viruses; Bacteriophages; Compositions thereof; Preparation or purification thereof preparing medicinal viral antigen or antibody compositions, e.g. virus vaccines, A61K39/00

Abstract

The present invention relates to variants of herpes simplex virus (HSV) that selectively infect and replicate in cancer cells, including HSV strains that selectively infect and replicate in bladder cancer cells. Preferred HSV of the invention have intact endogenous Us11 and Us12 genes and have genes encoding ICP34.5 replaced with a gene encoding Us11 fused to an HSV immediate early (IE) promoter. The variant HSV of the invention also comprise one or more additional heterologous genes encoding immunomodulatory polypeptides. Methods and compositions using these variant HSV, for example, for treating cancer in a subject, are also provided.

Claims

1. A variant oncolytic herpes simplex virus (HSV) comprising:

(a) functionally inactive ICP34.5 encoding genes;

(b) a US11 encoding gene operably associated with an immediate early (IE) promoter; and

(c) a virus-derived heterologous transporter associated with antigen presentation (TAP) inhibitor.

2. The variant HSV of claim 1, wherein the variant HSV is derived from HSV-1.

3. The variant HSV of claim 2, wherein the variant HSV is derived from wild-type HSV-1, HSV-1 strain F, HSV-1 strain 17, HSV-1 KOS, HSV-1 strain Patton, or a HSV-1 clinical strain.

4. The variant HSV of claim 1, wherein the variant HSV is at least 70% identical to HSV-1 or HSV-2.

5. The variant HSV of claim 1, wherein the variant HSV is at least 70% identical to SEQ ID NO:

1.

6. The variant HSV of claim 1, wherein the heterologous TAP inhibitor is a herpes virus UL49.5 polypeptide, a CMV US6 polypeptide, or a BNLF2a polypeptide.

7. The variant HSV of claim 6, wherein the UL49.5 polypeptide is derived from bovine herpes virus, pseudorabies virus, equine herpes virus 1, equine herpes virus 4, bubaline herpesvirus 1, cervid herpes virus 1, or felid herpesvirus 1.

8. The variant HSV according to claim 6, wherein the UL49.5 polypeptide is derived from bovine herpesvirus.

9. The variant HSV of claim 1, wherein the ICP34.5 genes are rendered functionally inactive by deletion, substitution, or insertion.

10. The variant HSV of claim 1, wherein at least one of the ICP34.5 genes is rendered functionally inactive by the insertion of an expression cassette.

11. The variant HSV of claim 1, wherein at least one of the ICP34.5 genes is rendered functionally inactive without the insertion of an expression cassette.

12. The variant HSV of claim 1, wherein the variant HSV comprises an intact US12 encoding gene.

13. The variant HSV of claim 1, wherein the variant HSV comprises an additional US11 encoding gene operably associated with a late promoter.

14. The variant HSV of claim 1, wherein the IE promoter is an α

27 IE promoter.

15. The variant HSV of claim 1, wherein the variant HSV further comprises an additional heterologous gene.

16. The variant HSV of claim 15, wherein the heterologous gene encodes an immunomodulatory polypeptide selected from granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, CD40 ligand (CD40L), a pro-drug converting enzyme, IL-I, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-11, IL-12, IL-13, IL-14, IL-15, IL-16, IL-17, IL-18, G-CSF, IFN-α

, IFN-γ

, IL-20 (MDA-7), a costimulatory molecule, B7-1 (CD80), and B7-2 (CD86).

17. The variant HSV of claim 15, wherein the heterologous gene is a GM-CSF gene.

18. The variant HSV of claim 15, wherein the heterologous gene is a pro-drug converting enzyme.

19. The variant HSV of claim 15, wherein the heterologous gene is operably associated with a cellular or viral promoter.

20. The variant HSV of claim 19, wherein the promoter is a CMV promoter, a MMLV LTR promoter, a RSV promoter, or an EF1α

promoter.

21. The variant HSV of claim 15, wherein the heterologous gene is operably associated with an inducible promoter.

22. The variant HSV of claim 15, comprising:

(a) functionally inactive ICP34.5 encoding genes;

(b) a US11 encoding gene operably associated with an immediate early (IE) promoter;

(c) a gene encoding a UL49.5 polypeptide; and

(d) a gene encoding GM-CSF.

23. The variant HSV of claim 22, wherein the gene encoding the UL49.5 polypeptide is derived from bovine herpesvirus.

24. The variant HSV of claim 23, wherein the GM-CSF gene is operably associated with a CMV promoter.

25. The variant HSV of claim 1, having a genome sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:

26, SEQ ID NO;

27, SEQ ID NO;

28, SEQ ID NO;

29, or SEQ ID NO;

30.

26. The variant HSV of claim 1, wherein the variant HSV comprises a nucleic acid sequence set forth in one of SEQ ID NO:

21, SEQ ID NO;

22, SEQ ID NO;

23, SEQ ID NO;

24 and SEQ ID NO;

25.

27. A pharmaceutical formulation comprising the variant HSV of claim 1 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

28. A method of treating a patient suffering from cancer comprising administering to the patient the pharmaceutical composition of claim 27.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the cancer is selected from breast, brain, cervix, colon, head &

neck, liver, kidney, lung, non-small cell lung, melanoma, mesothelioma, ovary, sarcoma, stomach, uterus and Medulloblastoma, Hodgkin'"'"'s Disease, Non-Hodgkin'"'"'s Lymphoma, multiple myeloma, neuroblastoma, ovarian cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma, primary thrombocytosis, primary macroglobulinemia, primary brain tumors, malignant pancreatic insulanoma, malignant carcinoid, urinary bladder cancer, premalignant skin lesions, testicular cancer, lymphomas, thyroid cancer, neuroblastoma, esophageal cancer, genitourinary tract cancer, malignant hypercalcemia, endometrial cancer, adrenal cortical cancer, neoplasms of the endocrine and exocrine pancreas, and prostate cancer.

30. The variant HSV of claim 17, wherein the GM-CSF gene is human GM-CSF.

31. The variant HSV of claim 22, wherein the GM-CSF gene is human GM-CSF.

32. The variant HSV of claim 22, wherein the UL49.5 polypeptide is operably associated with a cellular or viral promoter.

33. The variant HSV of claim 32, wherein the promoter is a CMV promoter, a MMLV LTR promoter, a RSV promoter, or an EF1α

promoter.

34. The variant HSV according to claim 22, wherein UL49.5 polypeptide is derived from bovine herpes virus operably associated with a CMV promoter and wherein GM-CSF is human GM-CSF.

35. The variant HSV of claim 24, wherein GM-CSF is human GM-CSF.

36. The variant HSV of claim 1, wherein the heterologous TAP inhibitor is operably associated with a cellular or viral promoter.

37. The variant HSV of claim 36, wherein the promoter is a CMV promoter, a MMLV LTR promoter, a RSV promoter, or an EF1α

promoter.

38. The variant HSV according to claim 37, wherein the heterologous TAP inhibitor is UL49.5 polypeptide derived from bovine herpes virus, pseudorabies virus, equine herpes virus 1, equine herpes virus 4, bubaline herpesvirus 1, cervid herpes virus 1, or felid herpesvirus 1.

39. The variant HSV according to claim 38, wherein the UL49.5 polypeptide is derived from bovine herpesvirus and is operably associated with a CMV promoter.

40. The variant HSV according to claim 39, wherein the HSV variant also comprises IL-12.

41. The variant HSV according to claim 40, wherein IL-12 is human IL-12.

42. The variant HSV of claim 1, wherein the IE promoter is selected from an α

0, α

4, α

22, α

27 or α

47 IE promoter.

43. The variant HSV of claim 1, wherein the IE promoter is a CMV promoter.

44. The variant HSV of claim 43, wherein the heterologous TAP inhibitor is inserted downstream from the US11 encoding gene.

45. The variant HSV of claim 44, wherein the heterologous TAP inhibitor is inserted in the same orientation as the US11 encoding gene.

46. The variant HSV of claim 45, wherein the variant HSV further comprises an additional heterologous gene.

47. The variant HSV of claim 46, wherein the additional heterologous gene is inserted downstream from the US11 encoding gene.

48. The variant HSV of claim 47, wherein the additional heterologous gene is inserted in the same orientation as the US11 encoding gene.

49. The variant HSV of claim 48, wherein the additional heterologous gene is human GM-CSF.

50. The variant HSV of claim 49, wherein the heterologous TAP inhibitor and human GM-CSF are operably associated with the same promoter.

51. The variant HSV of claim 50, wherein the promoter is the CMV promoter.

52. The variant HSV of claim 22, wherein the IE promoter is selected from an α

0, α

4, α

22, α

27 or α

47 IE promoter.

53. The variant HSV of claim 22, wherein the IE promoter is a CMV promoter.

54. The variant HSV of claim 53, wherein the UL49.5 polypeptide is inserted downstream from the US 11 encoding gene.

55. The variant HSV of claim 54, wherein the UL49.5 polypeptide is inserted in the same orientation as the US 11 encoding gene.

56. The variant HSV of claim 55, wherein the GM-CSF gene is inserted downstream from the US11 encoding gene.

57. The variant HSV of claim 56, wherein the GM-CSF gene is inserted in the same orientation as the US11 encoding gene.

58. The variant HSV of claim 57, wherein the GM-CSF gene is human GM-CSF.

59. The variant HSV of claim 58, wherein the UL49.5 polypeptide and the human GM-CSF gene are operably associated with the same promoter.

60. The variant HSV of claim 59, wherein the promoter is the CMV promoter.

61. The variant HSV of claim 22, wherein the IE promoter is an α

27 IE promoter.

62. The variant HSV of claim 61, wherein the GM-CSF gene is human GM-CSF.

63. The variant HSV of claim 62, wherein the UL49.5 polypeptide and the human GM-CSF gene are operably associated with the same promoter.

64. The variant HSV of claim 63, wherein the promoter is the CMV promoter.