Cancer Gene Therapy.ppt

Cancer Gene Therapy …Using Tumor Suppressor Genes. Overview Gene Therapy p53 Using Gene Therapy to Treat Lung Cancer Problems Gene Therapy Vectors In Vivo vs. Ex Vivo Which cells are the target cells What is Gene Therapy? Gene therapy is a technique for introducing the genetic material of a gene in a patient that lacks that gene because of a mutation. Vectors The way you insert the “normal” gene in the patient’s cell is by vectors. The most common vectors that are used in gene therapy are virus vectors Why Viruses? Viruses through the time of evolution have evolved to infect the cells with great specificity Viruses tend to be very efficient at transfecting their own DNA into the host cell genome. This allows them to produce new viral particles at the period of synthesis of the cell Types Of Viruses… Retrovirus Adinovirus Lentiviruses Poxviruses and Herpes Viruses Which Virus to Use? Depends how well they transfer the genes to cells which cells they can recognize and infect and whether they alter the cell’s DNA permanently or temporarily Which cells are the target cells Both Healthy and Cancerous cells can be a target Ex of targeting Healthy cells One way is by replacing a missing or altered gene with a “normal” one Cont: Which cells are the target cells Ex of targeting Cancer Cells Scientists can target cancer cells with genes that can be used to destroy the cells. In this technique, cancer cells are introduced to what is called “suicide genes” p53 Pathway Using Gene Therapy to Treat Lung Cancer In this clinical trial the scientist used gene therapy in combination with radiation therapy so they can treat lung cancer in 19 different patients Treatment: Gene therapy and Radiation. Intratumoral needle injections of Ad-p53 on days 1, 18 and 32 of the treatment. tumors ≥ 4 cm where injected with 10 ml tumors ? 4 cm were injected with 3 ml Radiation therapy Results 17/19 patients made it through the entire therapy complete response in 2 patients