engleski

Adenoviruses for gene therapy of cancer

Adenoviruses are very convenient for cancer gene therapy since, in sharp contrast to the long term expression required for management of genetic deficiency disorders, a transient high level expression of genes aimed at killing the cancer cell or stimulating the immune system may be more desirable for therapy of cancer. Today, adenoviral vectors are used in suicide gene therapy, in gene-based immunotherapy, in gene replacement strategies, and in approaches that combine gene therapy with chemotherapy. Still, targeting tumor suppressor gene pathways is especially attractive therapeutic strategy in cancer. Indeed, functional copies of tumor suppressor genes are efficiently introduced into cancer cells by gene transfer using adenoviral vectors. This approach has been extensively studied in clinic with intratumoural injection of a replication-defective adenovirus that expresses p53 (Ad-p53), whereby p53 remains the only tumor suppressor gene used in clinics. In addition, treatment with replication competent adenovirus vectors is also showing promising results. Thus, further adjuvant use of gene therapy with conventional chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery will all lead to better clinical responses.

adenoviruses; gene therapy

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