Gene therapy is effective in the treatment of brain tumor, revealed in the study

Scientists have discovered a new method in the treatment of breast tumor. This is a special gene therapy which works to strengthen the immunity.

Scientists have discovered a new method in the treatment of breast tumor. This is a special gene therapy which works to strengthen the immunity. Given the poor prognosis of gliomas and limited response to treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation, the team considered using adenoviral gene therapy. The study published in the journal 'The Lancet Oncology' shows that the therapy not only proved safe but also improved survival. "Being able to take a novel therapy from bench to bedside in such a streamlined manner is exciting and represents a tour-de-force in translational medicine," said Oren Sagher, professor of neurosurgery at the University of Michigan.

First HSV-1-Vaccine

In the Phase 1 trial, the team focused on two types of genetic therapies in high-grade gliomas. The first was a combination of the HSV-1-vaccine -- a protein -- and Valtrex -- a drug used to treat conditions such as the common cold and chickenpox. Used to treat viral infections. The HSV-1 vaccine turns Valtrex into a cytotoxic compound that kills actively dividing cancer cells. The second was Flt3L - a protein that recruits essential immune cells to the brain.

When used in combination, these treatments showed exciting preliminary results, including improved survival. Of the 18 patients enrolled in the trial, six survived more than two years, three lived more than three years, and one patient, who was still alive at the time of publication, lived five years.

adenoviral gene therapy

However, the adenoviral gene therapy vectors were supposed to remain active for one month. The team found that the activity of the adenoviral vector expressing the HSV1-vaccine was active for up to 17 months. This finding changes expectations for adenoviral gene therapy in the brain and potentially prolongs the time during which to deal with tumor recurrence. A combination of HSV1-TK and Valtrex can be used.

"It arose from a theoretical idea based on evolutionary hypotheses and was first tested in experimental models of disease," said Pedro Lowenstein, professor of neurosurgery at U-M. Maria Castro, professor of neurosurgery at U-M Finally, after many years, we are thrilled to report the results of testing this approach in human patients, which will lead to better treatments for this group of brain tumor patients.

Although more work is needed before bringing this into the clinic, the importance of long-term expression of HSV1-TK suggests implementation to improve treatment. The results of this study support the design of future Phase 1b/2 clinical trials.

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