Rapid/sustained anti-anthrax passive immunity mediated by co-administration of Ad/AAV

Achieving both immediate and sustained protection against diseases caused by bacterial toxins and extracellular pathogens is a challenge in developing bio-defense therapeutics. We hypothesized that a single co-administration of an adenovirus (Ad) vector and an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector, both expressing a pathogen-specific monoclonal antibody, would provide rapid, persistent passive immunotherapy against the pathogen. In order to test this strategy, we used the lethal toxin of Bacillus anthracis as a target of a monoclonal antibody directed against the protective antigen (PA) component of the toxin, using co-administration of an Ad vector encoding an anti-PA monoclonal antibody (Ad alpha PA) and an AAV vector encoding an anti-PA monoclonal antibody (AAVrh. 10 alpha PA). As early as 1 day after co-administration of Ad alpha PA and AAVrh. 10 alpha PA to mice, serum anti-PA antibody levels were detectable, and were sustained through 6 months. Importantly, animals that received both vectors were protected against toxin challenge as early as 1 day after administration and throughout the 6 month duration of the experiment. These data provide a new paradigm of genetic passive immunotherapy by co-administration of Ad and AAV vectors, each encoding a pathogen-specific monoclonal antibody, as an effective approach for both rapid and sustained protection against a bio-terror attack.