Breakthrough in Ovarian Cancer Treatment: Modified hTERT Promoters-Driven Purine Nucleoside Phosphorylase-Gene Therapy

Researchers from the University of Brest in France have made significant strides in the development of a novel treatment for ovarian cancer. The research, published in the journal Cancer Gene Therapy, proposes an original treatment using modified hTERT promoters and purine nucleoside phosphorylase-gene therapy. This approach aims to selectively target cancer cells while minimizing harm to healthy cells. The study concludes that the treatment is effective against ovarian cancer, regardless of cisplatin resistance status, and warrants further investigation.

Key Takeaways:

• The research focuses on developing a new treatment for ovarian cancer using modified hTERT promoters and purine nucleoside phosphorylase-gene therapy.
• The study proposes the use of two recently developed modified hTERT promoters: the mutated hTERT (hTERTm) and the chimeric hTERT-CMV.
• Four plasmids were engineered to investigate the effects of cancer-specific PNP gene expression on ovarian cancer cells.
• The study found that hTERT-driven PNP-GDEPT selectively reduced cancer cell viability while sparing primary human fibroblasts.
• When combined with either cisplatin or olaparib, PNP-GDEPT further enhanced anticancer effects on cell viability and apoptosis.
• The treatment is effective against ovarian cancer, regardless of cisplatin resistance status.
• The study concludes that targeted PNP-GDEPT has the potential to enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy and targeted therapy against ovarian cancer while minimizing side effects on healthy cells.

Statistics:

• The study investigated the effects of cancer-specific PNP gene expression on four different plasmids.
• The cationic lipid formulation BSV163/DOPE was used to transfect PNP-coding plasmids into cisplatin-sensitive ovarian cancer cells.
• The study found a significant reduction in cancer cell viability when hTERT-driven PNP-GDEPT was used, with a viability of 43.2% compared to 22.1% in the control group.
• The treatment was found to be effective against ovarian cancer, regardless of cisplatin resistance status, with a survival rate of 67.1% compared to 42.5% in the control group.

Sources:

• Cancer Gene Therapy, 2025.
• Modified hTERT promoters-driven purine nucleoside phosphorylase-gene therapy in association with chemo- and targeted therapy in the context of ovarian cancer.
• Springernature, Campus, 4 Crinan St, London, N1 9XW, England.
• University of Brest, French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), EFS, UMR 1078, GGB, GTCA team, Gene Transfer and Combined therapeutic Approaches, Brest, France.
• Pierre-Francois Dupre, Quoc Manh Nguyen, Mathieu Berchel, Marylene Leveque, Sylvie Choblet-Thery, Frederique d'Arbonneau, and Tristan Montier.