Abstract: The present invention related to heterobifunctional cross-linkers substituted by a cell surface binding group or a cell recognising group, and also by a bio-active group, the bio-active group attached to a carbonyl of the cross-linker by an acid labile bond. Examples of suitable bio-active groups include an immunomodulator and an anti-neoplastic group. The conjugate enables, for example, the coupling of immunomodulators ex vivo to a target cell, for example a tumor antigen presenting cell. The conjugate can act as a non-toxic prodrug carrying a cytotoxin, for example, to a target tissue site, where the pH-dependency of the labile amide bond provides for cell selectivity of the masked cytotoxin. The invention further relates to a method for producing the cross-linkers, their use in treating disease, and ex-vivo cell labeling.

Abstract: A process of treating a human or non-human animal cell to introduce heterologous genetic material into said cell and express said material in said cell, comprises (a) providing a recombinant herpesviral vector which is an attenuated or replication-defective and non-transforming mutant herpesvirus, and which carries heterologous genetic material, and (b) transducing human or non-human animal cells selected from: hemopoietic cells, malignant cells related to blood cells, and malignant or non-malignant CD34 + cells; by contacting said cells with said virus vector to transduce said cells and express said genetic material. Among applications of the technique is modification of hemopoietic cells by transfer of genes, e.g. to generate tumor immunogens from malignant cells.

Abstract: A process of treating a human or non-human animal cell to introduce heterologous genetic material into said cell and express said material in said cell, comprises (a) providing a recombinant herpesviral vector which is an attenuated or replication-defective and non-transforming mutant herpesvirus, and which carries heterologous genetic material, and (b) transducing human or non-human animal cells selected from: hemopoietic cells, malignant cells related to blood cells, and malignant or non-malignant CD34+cells; by contacting said cells with said virus vector to transduce said cells and express said genetic material. Among applications of the technique is modification of hemopoietic cells by transfer of genes, e.g. to generate tumor immunogens from malignant cells.