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Radiogenetic therapy: Strategies to overcome tumor resistance

Marples, Brian, Greco, Olga, Joiner, Michael C., Scott, Simon D. (2003) Radiogenetic therapy: Strategies to overcome tumor resistance. Current Pharmaceutical Design, 9 (26). pp. 2105-2112. ISSN 1381-6128. (doi:No DOI) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:9637)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ben/cpd/2003...

Abstract

The aim of cancer gene therapy is to selectively kill malignant cells at the tumor site, by exploiting traits specific to cancer cells and/or solid tumors. Strategies that take advantage of biological features common to different tumor types are particularly promising, since they have wide clinical applicability. Much attention has focused on genetic methods that complement radiotherapy, the principal treatment modality, or that exploit hypoxia, the most ubiquitous characteristic of most solid cancers. The goal of this review is to highlight two promising gene therapy methods developed specifically to target the tumor volume that can be readily used in combination with radiotherapy. The first approach uses radiation-responsive gene promoters to control the selective expression of a suicide gene (e.g., herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase) to irradiated tissue only, leading to targeted cell killing in the presence of a prodrug (e.g., ganciclovir). The second method utilizes oxygen-dependent promoters to produce selective therapeutic gene expression and prodrug activation in hypoxic cells, which are refractive to conventional radiotherapy. Further refining of tumor targeting can be achieved by combining radiation and hypoxia responsive elements in chimeric promoters activated by either and dual stimuli. The in vitro and in vivo studies described in this review suggest that the combination of gene therapy and radiotherapy protocols has potential for use in cancer care, particularly in cases currently refractory to treatment as a result of inherent or hypoxia-mediated radioresistance.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: No DOI
Subjects: Q Science
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Medway School of Pharmacy
Depositing User: Simon Scott
Date Deposited: 15 Sep 2008 12:06 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 09:48 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/9637 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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