Home FOR AUTHORS Acta Virologica 2014 Acta Virologica Vol.58, No.1, p.3-13, 2014

Journal info


Quarterly,
Founded: 1957
ISSN 0001-723X
E-ISSN 1336-2305

Published in English

Impact Factor = 1.82

Aims and Scope
Abstracted and Indexed

Select Journal







Webshop Cart

Your Cart is currently empty.

Info: Your browser does not accept cookies. To put products into your cart and purchase them you need to enable cookies.

Acta Virologica Vol.58, No.1, p.3-13, 2014

Title: Mesenchymal stromal cells retrovirally transduced with prodrug-converting genes are suitable vehicles for cancer gene therapy
Author: E. ĎURINIKOVÁ, L. KUČEROVÁ, M. MATÚŠKOVÁ

Abstract: Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC) possess a set of several fairly unique properties which make them ideally suitable both for cellular therapies and regenerative medicine. These include: relative ease of isolation, the ability to differentiate along mesenchymal and non-mesenchymal lineages in vitro and the ability to be extensively expanded in culture without a loss of differentiative capacity. MSC are not only hypoimmunogenic, but they mediate immunosuppression upon transplantation, and possess pronounced anti-inflammatory properties. They are able to home to damaged tissues, tumors, and metastases following systemic administration. The ability of homing holds big promise for tumor-targeted delivery of therapeutic agents. Viruses are naturally evolved vehicles efficiently transferring their genes into host cells. This ability made them suitable for engineering vector systems for the delivery of genes of interest. MSC can be retrovirally transduced with genes encoding prodrug-converting genes (suicide genes), which are not toxic per se, but catalyze the formation of highly toxic metabolites following the application of a nontoxic prodrug. The homing ability of MSC holds advantages compared to virus vehicles which display many shortcomings in effective delivery of the therapeutic agents. Gene therapies mediated by viruses are limited by their restricted ability to track cancer cells infiltrating into the surrounding tissue, and by their low migratory capacity towards tumor. Thus combination of cellular therapy and gene delivery is an attractive option – it protects the vector from immune surveillance, and supports targeted delivery of a therapeutic gene/protein to the tumor site.

Keywords: mesenchymal stromal cells; retroviral vectors; cancer gene therapy; prodrug-converting genes
Published online: 10-Apr-2014
Year: 2014, Volume: 58, Issue: 1 Page From: 1, Page To: 13
doi:10.4149/av_2014_01_3


download file



© AEPress s.r.o
Copyright notice: For any permission to reproduce, archive or otherwise use the documents in the ELiS, please contact AEP.