Sign in Subscribe
Drugs

Advances in Cancer Gene Therapy: New Findings from Spain and the United States

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Researchers in Spain and the United States have made significant advances in cancer gene therapy, with findings published in leading scientific journals. In Spain, scientists at the University of Navarra have developed a new adenovirus-alphavirus hybrid vector that increases liver cancer treatment efficacy and safety. In the United States, researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have discovered that herpes simplex virus (HSV) amplicon delivery of a hypoxia-inducible vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Additionally, scientists at the University of Minnesota have developed a somatic integration model using the Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon system to study the effects of defined genetic elements on somatic cells in mice.

Key Takeaways:

  • The adenovirus-alphavirus hybrid vector developed by Guan and colleagues (University of Navarra) shows improved efficacy and safety in treating liver cancer.
  • The hybrid vector's ability to infect tumors with high efficiency and induce specific and high-level expression of transgene in the tumor makes it a promising tool for cancer gene therapy.
  • HSV amplicon delivery of a hypoxia-inducible VEGF receptor (sFlk-1) by Reinblatt and colleagues (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center) inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
  • The study demonstrated that tumor hypoxia can be used to direct antiangiogenic therapy to pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
  • The Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon system developed by Carlson and colleagues (University of Minnesota) can integrate foreign sequences of DNA in the genome of mouse somatic cells, eliciting long-term expression in vivo.
  • The SB transposon system can be used to study the effects of defined genetic elements on somatic cells in mice and can be used as a nonviral technology to deliver therapeutic genes.

Statistics:

  • The adenovirus-alphavirus hybrid vector showed a 76% reduction in infected hepatocellular carcinoma cells due to the induction of apoptosis by SFV replication.
  • The HSV amplicon delivery of sFlk-1 showed a 36% reduction in capillary formation versus controls in normoxic conditions and a 76% reduction in hypoxic conditions.
  • The Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon system showed 94% efficiency in integrating foreign sequences of DNA in the genome of mouse somatic cells.

Sources:

  • Guan, N., et al. (2006). Increased efficacy and safety in the treatment of experimental liver cancer with a novel adenovirus-alphavirus hybrid vector. Cancer Research, 66(3), 1620-1629.
  • Reinblatt, M., et al. (2005). Herpes simplex virus amplicon delivery of a hypoxia-inducible soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (SFlk-1) inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Annals of Surgical Oncology, 12(12), 1025-1036.
  • Carlson, C. M., et al. (2005). Somatic integration of an oncogene-harboring Sleeping Beauty transposon models liver tumor development in the mouse. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 102(47), 17059-17064.

Read more