abstract |
A flaviviral replicon-based construct is provided for delivery and expression of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor to facilitate tumour therapy. In particular, the replicon construct encodes a Kunjin virus replicon having one or more mutations in an NS2A non-structural protein that induce enhanced levels of cellular IFN that synergize with recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor delivered according to the invention. The construct may be administered intra-tumourally or peri-tumourally to an animal as DNA, RNA or packaged into a VLP, for the therapeutic and/or prophylactic treatment of tumours and cancers such as melanoma, lung carcinoma, cervical carcinoma, lung epithelial carcinoma, prostate cancer, breast cancer, renal carcinoma, colon cancer, epithelial cancers and mesothelioma. |