[extropy-chat] Novel Gene Therapy Delivery Uses Stem Cells That Target, Attack Tumors

[Giu1i0 Pri5c0]

>From Science Daily: Genetically engineered stem cells can find tumors and
then produce biological killing agents right at the cancer site, say
researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, who
have performed a number of successful "proof of concept" experiments in
mice.
This novel treatmentmay offer the first gene therapy "delivery system"
capable of homing in on and then attacking cancer that has metastasized --
wherever it is in a patient's body. And the stem cells will not be rejected,
even if they are not derived from the patient. The system has been tested in
mice with a variety of human cancers, including solid ones such as ovarian,
brain, breast cancer, melanoma and even such blood-based cancer as leukemia.
"This drug delivery system is attracted to cancer cells no matter what form
they are in or where they are," says Michael Andreeff, M.D., Ph.D.,
professor in the Departments of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and
Leukemia. "We believe this to be a major find."
In the novel delivery system, researchers isolate a small quantity of MSC
from bone marrow, and greatly expand the quantity of those cells in the lab.
They then use a virus to deliver a particular gene into the stem cells. When
turned on, this gene will produce an anti-cancer effect. When given back to
the patient through an intraveneous injection, the millions of engineered
mesenchymal progenitor cells will engraft where the tumor environment is
signaling them, and will activate the therapeutic gene.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.extropy.org/pipermail/extropy-chat/attachments/20031209/15619a63/attachment.html>