ENHANCED DELIVERY OF SYNTHETIC OLIGONUCLEOTIDES TO HUMAN LEUKEMIC-CELLS BY LIPOSOMES AND IMMUNOLIPOSOMES

The ability of pH-sensitive liposomes and immunoliposomes to deliver s ynthetic antisense oligonucleotides (oligos) into human myeloid and ly mphoid leukaemia cells was examined. The cellular uptake of an 18mer a nti-myb oligonucleotide encapsulated in liposomes was from three- to f ive-fold higher than that of (32)p-oligos alone. In addition, anti-CD3 2 or anti-CD2 immunoliposomes improved the delivery of oligos to leuka emic cells carrying the appropriate receptor for the specific antibody -linked immunoliposome. The uptake of oligos was twice that of the lip osome or non-specific immunoliposome encapsulated oligos. These findin gs support the use of liposomes or immunoliposomes to deliver antisens e oligos into human leukaemic cells. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Scien ce Ltd.