COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR RETARGETING VIRUS CONSTRUCTS

The present invention relates to the field of viral gene therapy. More specifically, A the present invention provides compositions and methods for retargeting virus constructs. In one embodiment, the present invention provides an adenoviral construct comprising a nucleic acid encoding the peptide sequence MAE-X-PDP, wherein X is an antigen targeting peptide. In a more specific embodiment, an adenoviral construct comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding the peptide sequence MAEWQPDTAHHWALTLPDP inserted into the HI-loop of adenovirus fiber protein. In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a method for optimizing adenoviral infection of target cells comprising the steps of (a) generating a peptide-display adenovirus library, wherein the displayed peptide is a peptide that specifically binds an antigen expressed on the surface of a target cell, and wherein the displayed peptide is flanked by random peptide sequences; and (b) screening the peptide-display adenovirus library against the target cells.