1073. Cell Tropism of JC-Virus Derived Viral-Like Particles In Vitro and In Vivo

The goal of the present study was to explore the tropism of Virus-Like Particles (VLP) originating from the human polyoma JC- virus (JCV) in vitro and in vivo. VLP have been known for several years to be a promising alternative to the existing viral and non-viral DNA delivery systems. VLP are self-assembled structures composed only of proteins necessary for capsid formation, DNA packaging and gene delivery. They are replication deficient, exhibit a similar morphology and presumably share the same cell tropism, cellular uptake and intracellular trafficking mechanisms compared to their viral origin. VLP from JCV are being evaluated as a delivery vector for the central nervous system (CNS) because JCV preferentially infects both oligodendrocytes and astrocytes.