959. Pharmacokinetic Studies of Human IFN-|[szlig]| in Mice Following Gene-Based Delivery

Interferon-|[szlig]| (IFN-|[szlig]|) is an immunoregulatory cytokine that has been approved as a protein therapeutic for multiple sclerosis (MS). Pharmacokinetic studies have shown that IFN-|[szlig]| has an extremely short half-life in the circulation. Within a few hours following bolus delivery of the recombinant protein, hIFN-|[szlig]| levels in serum are undetectable. Gene-based delivery of IFN-|[szlig]| would offer advantages over bolus delivery of protein in providing sustained long-term expression of the protein resulting in therapeutic efficacy while minimizing side effects.