In a recent clinical trial, researchers found that suicide gene therapy can effectively kill prostate cancer cells. How this therapy can revolutionize the way cancers in general are being treated is a promise that all affected patients may benefit from.
Suicide gene therapy is basically changing oneself to find an accomplice that will help it commit suicide. More specifically, the method entails altering the genetic composition of cancer cells in such a way that the immune system will be triggered to kill it. As wise at is sounds, the strategy works.
"The combination of immunomodulatory in situ gene therapy and IMRT [intensity-modulated radiotherapy] with or without hormonal therapy is feasible, safe, and effective in the treatment of prostate cancer," the authors wrote.
Cancer is the aberrant growth of cells, which is most probably the result of imbalanced cell proliferation due to gene alterations.
The changes in the genetic level may either be structural or functional. As per investigations, no single genomic alteration is discovered in all cancers. Experts also found that each cancer that are histologically independent of each other exhibits numerous changes.
In cancer gene therapy, three primary methods are being employed. First, scientists may opt to induce normal genes into cancer cells as this can increase the sensitivity of the tumor to chemotherapeutic drugs and immune system attacks.
The second strategy is gene silencing, which halts the expression of particular genes that are overly activated in cancer cells - a factor that hastens tumor growth and blood vessel formation.
Lastly, cancer gene therapy may include inducing apoptosis or programmed cell death, or in Layman's terms, suicide.
Scientists have developed what they call oncolytic viruses, which grow scrupulously in tumor cells compared to normal cells. For example, existing human viruses such as measles or herpes simplex virus (HSV) can be genetically modified to kill itself. Hence, once it is injected in tumor cells, the entire virus-cell combination will be destroyed. What makes this procedure advantageous is that it does not generally cause cell death in normal cells.
At present, there are various clinical studies investigating gene cell therapies. The promising experiments are currently within its Phase I to Phase III stages and the wonderful news is, these therapies are being tested in all types of cancers.
Photo: Angelo Juan Ramos | Flickr
