Gene therapy in cancer

Abstract

Gene therapy, recently frequently investigated, is an alternative treatment method that introduces therapeutic genes into a cancer cell or tissue to cause cell death or slow down the growth of the cancer. This treatment has various strategies such as therapeutic gene activation or silencing of unwanted or defective genes; therefore a wide variety of genes and viral or nonviral vectors are being used in studies. Gene therapy strategies in cancer can be classified as inhibition of oncogene activation, activation of tumor suppressor gene, immunotherapy, suicide gene therapy and antiangiogenic gene therapy. In this review, we explain gene therapy, gene therapy strategies in cancer, approved gene medicines for cancer treatment and future of gene therapy in cancer. Today gene therapy has not yet reached the level of replacing conventional therapies. However, with a better understanding of the mechanism of cancer to determine the right treatment and target, in the future gene therapy, used as monotherapy or in combination with another existing treatment options, is likely to be used as a new medical procedure that will make cancer a controllable disease.

Designing cytochrome P450 enzymes for use in cancer gene therapy

“…Cancer gene therapy is a promising approach for treating cancer by introducing genetic material into cancer cells to fight the disease ( Cross and Burmester, 2006 ). The key principle of cancer gene therapy involves delivering therapeutic genes into cancer cells or healthy tissue (e.g., immune cells) ( Cesur-Ergün and Demir-Dora, 2023 ). Viral and non-viral vectors (e.g., liposomes and polymers) can carry the therapeutic genes and insert them into target cell DNA ( Hwang et al, 2001 ; Sung and Kim, 2019 ; Manisha.…”

“…Advancements in cancer gene therapy have revolutionized the cancer treatment landscape ( Libutti, 2019 ; Cesur-Ergün and Demir-Dora, 2023 ). Understanding cancer as a disease mediated by somatic aberrations in the host genome has been a pivotal advancement in human genomics ( Amer, 2014 ).…”

“…This understanding has paved the way for developing gene therapy as a potential first-line treatment for neoplastic diseases ( Das et al, 2015 ). The use of oncolytic viruses and bacteria, as well as the advances in genetic modification of cancer and immune cells, has led to numerous clinical trials for cancer therapy, with several progressing to late-stage product development ( Husain et al, 2015 ; Cesur-Ergün and Demir-Dora, 2023 ). Furthermore, the emergence of precision medicine and the utilization of siRNA technology as a therapeutic modality for specific cancers, such as pancreatic cancer, showcase the diverse and targeted approaches explored in cancer gene therapy ( Zorde Khvalevsky et al, 2013 ).…”

Advances in the synthesis and applications of macrocyclic polyamines

“…70% utilization rate). Various retroviruses, adenoviruses, herpesviruses and pox viruses have been used as viral vectors [28][29][30]. Notably, adenovirus and retroviral vectors have demonstrated some success in cancer therapy during early clinical trials.…”

Üçlü negatif meme kanseri hücrelerine folik asit polietilenimin polipleksleri ile gen aktarımı

“…Gene therapy is a potentially beneficial cancer treatment approach. It consists of the delivery of genes such as "DNA, RNA, mRNA, siRNA, antisense oligonucleotide, CRISPR/Cas9 system, ZFNs, and TALENs" to patients to repair responsible damaged genes that cause disease (European Medicines Agency, 2018;Demir-Dora, 2021;Cesur-Ergün & Demir-Dora, 2023). The European Medicines Agency (EMA) defines gene therapy medicinal products as "those that contain genes that have therapeutic, prophylactic, or diagnostic effects and are applied to repair the tissue damage, replenish the deficiencies to maintain the functionality of the body, and prevent the expressions of unwanted genes" (European Medicines Agency, 2018).…”