台灣研究登 Cancer Cell: VISA-Claudin4-BikDD gene therapy targeting cancer stem cells !!

Gene therapy potential approach to killing cancer cells: study  2012/06/06 18:20:30 Taipei, June 6 (CNA) Gene therapy has been proven effective in inhibiting breast tumor growth in mice, marking a new pathway for cancer treatment, a Taiwanese researcher involved in the study said Wednesday. VISA-Claudin4-BikDD gene therapy can fight cancer by killing cancer stem cells while leaving normal cells intact, said Hung Mien-chie, a researcher at China Medical University Hospital in Taichung, central Taiwan. Cancer stem cells are major therapeutic barriers in modern treatment because they are often resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, said Hung, who is also a professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. "We can find a way to beat cancer if we know how to effectively kill cancer stem cells," he said at a press conference held by the National Science Council, a financial supporter of the long-term project. Using mice as a model for the study, Hung's team first induced breast cancer in the subjects and then applied the novel gene therapy developed by MD Anderson. The therapy, including a targeting agent and a gene known to kill cancer cells, was delivered intravenously into the mice. In less than two months, results show, the gene therapy could significantly reduce tumor volume as well as help increase the effectiveness of traditional chemotherapy, Hung said. Describing the findings as "exciting," he said the next step will be to launch clinical trials within two years so that the effects can be tested on humans. The study was published in the Sept. 13 edition of the peer-reviewed Cancer Cell.