Strategien zur Gentherapie von Tumorerkrankungen [Gene therapy strategies for tumor diseases]

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Item Type:	Article
Title:	Strategien zur Gentherapie von Tumorerkrankungen [Gene therapy strategies for tumor diseases]
Creators Name:	Walther, W., Stein, U. and Schlag, P.M.
Abstract:	Gene therapy is based on the introduction of foreign genes into target cells, such as tumor cells using nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) as the active therapeutic agent. Cancer still represents one major target for gene therapy approaches since this is a disease of high incidence. The high number of 376 gene therapy protocols (September 2001) involving more than 2300 patients reflects the great efforts being made in the field of cancer gene therapies, cancer gene therapy requires selectivity in tumor cell killing or inhibition of tumor cell growth by circumventing unwanted side effects. The therapeutic approach of tumor targeted gene transfer aim at the immunological recognition and destruction of tumors, the direct killing of the targeted tumor cells or the interference with tumor growth. To achieve this, a great variety of viral and nonviral gene transfer systems and of the therpeutic genes is available and currently under investigation in preclinical studies and in clinical trials. The therapeutic genes are of very different origin and exert very different mechanismsm of action, such as genes coding for immunstimulatory molecules or tumor antigens, genes encoding bacterial or viral prodrug-activation enzymes (suicides genes), tumor suppressor genes or multidrug resistance genes.
Keywords:	Cancer, Therapy, Gene Therapy, Gene Transfer
Source:	Chirurgische Praxis
ISSN:	0009-4846
Publisher:	Marseille
Volume:	60
Page Range:	19-26
Date:	2002

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