OBJECTIVETo study the feasibility of delivering viral gene vector from a collagen-coated polyurethane (PU) film through a mechanism involving monoclonal antiviral antibody tethering.

METHODSAnti-adenoviral monoclonal antibodies were covalently bound to the collagen-coated PU surface. These antibodies enabled tethering of replication defective adenoviruses through highly specific antigen-antibody affinity. The PU film-based gene delivery using antibody-tethered adenovirus encoding green fluorescent protein (GEP) was tested in rat arterial smooth muscle cell (A10 cell) culture in vitro. The virus binding stability was studied by incubating the collagen-coated PU film in PBS solution at 37 degrees C for 20 days, followed with A10 cell cultures with the incubated films and the corresponding buffer solution.

RESULTSPU films with antibody-tethered adenovirus encoding GFP demonstrated efficient and highly localized gene delivery to A10 cells. Virus binding was stable for at least 10 days at physiological conditions, more than 77% of the originally bound virus remained in the film after 15 day's incubation.

CONCLUSIONGene delivery using PU film-based anti-viral antibody tethering of vectors exhibited potentials of applications in a wide array of single or multiple therapeutic gene strategies, and in further stent-based gene delivery therapeutic strategies.