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Original Summaries of Selected CANCERLIT Records
Gene Therapy
Last modified on:
Tuesday, April 20, 1999 10:52:30
Copyright © 1994-2008, Information Ventures, Inc.
Gene Therapy - Cancers are commonly associated with genetic changes, and the premise of gene therapy is that it is possible to restore the normal gene, and with it the behavior pattern of normal tissue, leading to regression of the tumor. In a recent clinical study (ICDB/95612735), the authors immunized 24 melanoma patients with weekly subcutaneous injections of gene-modified melanoma cells producing interleukin-2, during three consecutive weeks. Two patients received genetically modified autologous melanoma cells, that produced high levels of interleukin-2 following transfection with the same construct. All patients showed inflammatory changes and cellular infiltrate of T-cells, macrophages and eosinophils at the site of vaccination. Strikingly, in some patients inflammatory reactions, necrosis, apoptosis and T-cell infiltrate were found at the sites of distant subcutaneous metastases after vaccination. Five patients showed some regression of metastasis. This is only very preliminary, but it demonstrates little except that the interleukin gene can be introduced in this way together with other immune function genes to stimulate reaction against preexisting tumors.
September, 1995
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