Report summarizes gene therapy study findings from B.A. Tannous and co-researchers
2009 JUL 9 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to recent research from the United States, "Viral vectors have been used to deliver a wide range of therapeutic genes to tumors. In this study, a novel tumor therapy was achieved by the delivery of a mammalian brain sodium channel, ASIC2a, carrying a mutation that renders it constitutively open." "This channel was delivered to tumor cells using a herpes simplex virus-1/Epstein-Barr virus (HSV/EBV) hybrid amplicon vector in which gene expression was controlled by a tetracycline regulatory system (tet-on) with silencer elements. Upon infection and doxycycline induction of mutant channel expression in tumor cells, the open channel led to amiloride-sensitive sodium influx as assessed by patch clamp recording and sodium imaging in culture. Within hours, tumor cells swelled and died. In addition to cells expressing the mutant channel, adjacent, noninfected cells connected by gap junctions also died. Intratumoral injection of HSV/EBV amplicon vector encoding the mutant sodium channel and systemic administration of doxycycline led to regression of subcutaneous tumors in nude mice as assessed by in vivo bioluminescence imaging," wrote B.A. Tannous and colleagues. The researchers concluded: "The advantage of this direct mode of tumor therapy is that all types of tumor cells become susceptible and death is rapid with no time for the tumor cells to become resistant." Tannous and colleagues published their study in Molecular Therapy (Mutant Sodium Channel for Tumor Therapy. Molecular Therapy, 2009;17(5):810-819). For additional information, contact B.A. Tannous, Massachusetts General Hospital East, Dept. of Neurology, Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Bldg 149, 13th St., Boston, MA 02129, USA. Publisher contact information for the journal Molecular Therapy is: Nature Publishing Group, 75 Varick St., 9TH Flr, New York, NY 10013-1917, USA. Keywords: United States, Boston, Amiloride, Biotechnology, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Diuretic, Doxycycline, Doxycycline Hyclate, Drug Development, Drugs, EBV, Epstein-Barr Virus, Gene Therapy, Herpes, Herpes Simplex Virus, Herpesvirus, Molecular Research, Molecular Therapies, Pharmaceuticals, Tetracycline, Therapy, Treatment, Virology. This article was prepared by Gene Therapy Weekly editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Gene Therapy Weekly via NewsRx.com.
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