Fighting fire with fire: attacking the complexity of human tumors with armed therapeutic viruses.
Cancer gene therapies have centered on the use of a single gene, directed against a particular property or single aspect of tumor biology, to treat neoplastic disease. These therapies have met with limited clinical success. This is, perhaps, not surprising given the complex and heterogeneous nature of solid tumors. Treatments targeted at confronting multiple dimensions of human tumors are needed. Armed therapeutic viruses (oncolytic viruses carrying therapeutic genes) represent a system where the concerted action of multiple therapeutics can be joined into a single agent, and represent a promising avenue for developing future cancer therapies.
Hermiston
Terry
T
Berlex Biosciences, Richmond, CA 94804-0099, USA. terry_hermiston@berlex.com
D015316:Genetic Therapy; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000628:therapy*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D014780:Viruses