Enhanced virus-like particles and methods of use thereof for delivery to cells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12319938-B2
Application number	US-202318158173-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2023
Priority date	Jul 24, 2020
Publication date	Jun 3, 2025
Grant date	Jun 3, 2025

Abstract

Enhanced virus-like particles (eVLPs), comprising a membrane comprising a phospholipid bilayer with one or more virally-derived glycoproteins on the external side; and a cargo disposed in the core of the eVLP on the inside of the membrane, wherein the eVLP does not comprise an exogenous gag/pol protein, and methods of use thereof for delivery of the cargo to cells.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A particle for delivering a CRISPR-based genome editing protein to a nucleus of a target cell, the particle comprising:
(a) a membrane comprising a phospholipid bilayer with a glycoprotein on an external side; and
(b) a fusion protein comprising the CRISPR-based genome editing protein fused via a linker with a non-viral plasma membrane recruitment domain comprising a pleckstrin homology (PH) domain disposed in a core of the particle, and
wherein the fusion protein does not comprise a Gag protein.

2. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the PH domain is a human PH domain.

3. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the PH domain is selected from the group consisting of a pleckstrin homology domain of phospholipase CM (PLC61), pleckstrin homology domain of Aktl (Aktl) or a mutant thereof, pleckstrin homology domain of PDPK1 (PDPKI), pleckstrin homology domain of Dappl, pleckstrin homology domain of Grpl, pleckstrin homology domain of OSBP, pleckstrin homology domain of Btkl, pleckstrin homology domain of FAPP1, pleckstrin homology domain of PKD, pleckstrin homology domain of PHLPP1, pleckstrin homology domain of SWAP70, and a pleckstrin homology domain of MAPKAP1.

4. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the PH domain is selected from the group consisting of a pleckstrin homology domain of human phospholipase CM (hPLC61), pleckstrin homology domain of human Aktl (hAktl) or a mutant thereof, pleckstrin homology domain of Homo sapiens PDPK1 (hPDPKI), pleckstrin homology domain of Human Dappl, pleckstrin homology domain of Mouse Grpl, pleckstrin homology domain of Human Grpl, pleckstrin homology domain of Human OSBP, pleckstrin homology domain of Human Btkl, pleckstrin homology domain of Human FAPP1, pleckstrin homology domain of Human PKD, pleckstrin homology domain of Human PHLPP1, pleckstrin homology domain of Human SWAP70, and a pleckstrin homology domain of Human MAPKAP1.

5. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the PH domain is a pleckstrin homology (PH) domain of Aktl or a pleckstrin homology domain of phospholipase CM (PLC61).

6. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the PH domain is a mutant pleckstrin homology domain of AKT that comprises an amino acid substitution relative to a corresponding wild type pleckstrin homology domain of Aktl.

7. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the plasma membrane recruitment domain comprises the amino acid sequence set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1-11 or 42-44.

8. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the glycoprotein is a viral glycoprotein.

9. The particle of claim 8 , wherein the viral glycoprotein comprises a viral envelope protein.

10. The particle of claim 9 , wherein the viral envelope protein is selected from the group consisting of a vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VSVG), GP64, GP160, RD114, BaEVTR, BaEVTRless, FuG-E, FuG-E (P440E), ecotropic MLV ENV, amphotropic MLV ENV, and a MLV10A1.

11. The particle of claim 9 , wherein the viral envelope protein comprises a vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein VSVG.

12. The particle of claim 9 , wherein the viral envelope protein comprises the amino acid sequence set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 12-18, 54, or 55.

13. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the particle further comprises a single-chain variable fragment, a nanobody, or a darpin on the external side.

14. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the particle does not comprise a Gag protein.

15. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the particle does not further comprise a viral protein or a polynucleotide encoding the viral protein.

16. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the particle does not comprise an exogenous GAG protein, an exogenous Pol protein, a polynucleotide encoding the exogenous GAG protein, or a polynucleotide encoding the exogenous Pol protein.

17. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the CRISPR-based genome editing protein further comprises a nuclear localization sequence.

18. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the CRISPR-based genome editing protein is complexed with a guide RNA.

19. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the CRISPR-based genome editing protein is fused N-terminal to N-terminus or C-terminus of the non-viral plasma membrane recruitment domain.

20. A method of engineering a target cell, the method comprising contacting the target cell with the particle of claim 1 .

21. A method of engineering a population of target cells, the method comprising contacting the population of target cells with the particle of claim 1 .

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the contacting results in an increased delivery of the CRISPR-based genome editing protein relative to that upon contacting with a corresponding particle that lacks a fusion of the CRISPR-based genome editing protein to the non-viral plasma membrane recruitment domain.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the delivery results in an increased modification of the population of target cells relative to that upon contacting with a corresponding particle that lacks a fusion of the CRISPR-based genome editing protein to the non-viral plasma membrane recruitment domain.

24. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the CRISPR-based genome editing protein comprises Cas 9 .

25. The particle of claim 24 , wherein the Cas9 comprises Streptococcus pyogenes Cas 9 (spCas9).

26. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the CRISPR-based genome editing protein comprises Cas12a.

27. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the CRISPR-based genome editing protein comprises a deaminase.

28. The particle of claim 27 , wherein the CRISPR-based genome editing protein comprises a uracil glycosylase inhibitor (UGI).

29. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the CRISPR-based genome editing protein is wild-type, a nickase, or catalytically inactive.

30. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the PH domain is a human PH domain, wherein the linker comprises a 10 amino acid glycine/serine polypeptide linker, wherein the plasma membrane recruitment domain is N-terminal to the CRISPR-based genome editing protein, wherein the CRISPR-based genome editing protein comprises Cas 9 , wherein the Cas 9 is complexed with a sgRNA, wherein the particle does not comprise a Gag protein, and wherein the glycoprotein is fusogenic.

31. The particle of claim 1 , further comprising a targeting peptide to enable cell-specific entry.

32. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the CRISPR-based genome editing protein is fused C-terminal to the non-viral plasma membrane recruitment domain.

33. The particle of claim 1 , wherein the linker is a polypeptide linker.

34. The particle of claim 33 , wherein the polypeptide linker is 5 - 20 amino acids in length.

35. The particle of claim 33 , wherein the polypeptide linker is 8 - 12 amino acids in length.

36. The particle of claim 33 , wherein the polypeptide linker comprises a glycine/serine polypeptide linker.

37. The particle of claim 33 , wherein the polypeptide linker comprises a 10 amino acid glycine/serine polypeptide linker.

Assignees

• Massachusetts Gen Hospital
• Harvard College

Inventors

• Joung J Keith
• Cabeceiras Peter

Classifications

• C12N2800/80

  Vectors containing sites for inducing double-stranded breaks, e.g. meganuclease restriction sites · CPC title

• C12N2760/20252

  relating to complementing cells and packaging systems for producing virus or viral particles · CPC title

• C12N2760/20223

  Virus like particles [VLP] · CPC title

• C12N15/11

  DNA or RNA fragments; Modified forms thereof (DNA or RNA not used in recombinant technology, C07H21/00); {Non-coding nucleic acids having a biological activity} · CPC title

• C12N9/22

  Ribonucleases {[RNase]; Deoxyribonucleases [DNase]} · CPC title