A modified bacteriophage capable of infecting a plurality of different target bacteria, which bacteriophage includes a toxin gene encoding a toxin protein which is toxic to the target bacteria; wherein the bacteriophage is lytic; and wherein the bacteriophage expresses host range determinant proteins which have a plurality of bacterial host specificities.

The invention provides hybrid and recombinant phagemid vectors for expressing a transgene in a target cell transduced with the vector. A recombinant phagemid particle comprises at least one transgene expression cassette which encodes an agent which exerts a biological effect on the target cell, characterised in that the phagemid particle comprises a genome which lacks at least 50% of its bacteriophage genome. The invention extends to the use of such phagemid expression systems as a research tool, and for the delivery of transgenes in a variety of gene therapy applications, DNA and/or peptide vaccine delivery and imaging techniques. The invention extends to in vitro, in vivo or in situ methods for producing viral vectors, such as recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAV) or lentivirus vectors (rLV), and to genetic constructs used in such methods.

The invention provides hybrid and recombinant phagemid vectors for expressing a transgene in a target cell transduced with the vector. A recombinant phagemid particle comprises at least one transgene expression cassette which encodes an agent which exerts a biological effect on the target cell, characterised in that the phagemid particle comprises a genome which lacks at least 50% of its bacteriophage genome. The invention extends to the use of such phagemid expression systems as a research tool, and for the delivery of transgenes in a variety of gene therapy applications, DNA and/or peptide vaccine delivery and imaging techniques. The invention extends to in vitro, in vivo or in situ methods for producing viral vectors, such as recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAV) or lentivirus vectors (rLV), and to genetic constructs used in such methods.

Disclosed herein are compositions and methods that can be used to treat subjects with Wilson's disease. The compositions can comprise nucleic acid constructs comprising a liver-specific promoter and a nucleic acid sequence encoding the ATP73 polypeptide, a variant of the ATP73 polypeptide or a polypeptide having at least 90% identity. The compositions can be formulated for hydrodynamic gene delivery into the liver using DNA vectors.