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Thymidine kinase gene is found in herpes simplex virus. It was found that this gene phosphorylates the compound gancicivir, causing it to inhibit the synthesis of DNA, resulting in cell death. The gene is inserted into brain tumors and certain other cancers via a retrovirus carrier. Gancicivir is then given systemically.
Cytosine deaminase is found in the bacterium E. coli. This enzyme can convert 5-flurocytosine into the toxic chemotherapeutic agent, 5-flurouracil. In this manner, large amounts of 5-fluorocytosine can be administered to the patient without causing harm to the normal body cells, while delivering a toxic dose specifically to cancer cells.
The advantage of both of these chemosentization genes is that they can apparently kill by a bystander effect,that is, not every cell in the tumor needs to be transduced by the gene in order to eradicate the tumor completely.
1. InTouch Therapeutic Genes: Chemosensitization Genes and Immunomodulatory Genes (search term therapeutic genes) 2. Nemunaitis, J., Immune Modulation as Cancer Treatment Using Gene Therapy, Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, Volume 12,pages 231-237 (1999) 3. Nowroozi, M. Cancer Control: JMCC Vol.5, No.5, pages 522-531 (1998)
The copyright of the article Cancer Gene Therapy II - Page 3 in Cancer Treatment is owned by . Permission to republish Cancer Gene Therapy II - Page 3 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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