Gene therapy for glioma

Abstract

The first authorized human gene therapy was performed in the United States in 1990 on a patient with a defective adenosine deaminase (ADA) gene. Since this successful treatment, a variety of human gene therapy protocols have occurred worldwide. At present, more than 3,000 patients are enrolled in more than 500 protocols. Target diseases for gene therapy are expanding to encompass aquired life-threatening diseases such as cancer. As for brain tumors, especially for malignant gliomas, two major gene therapy approaches have been applied; 1. Suicide gene therapy using the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) gene and ganciclovir, and 2. Immune gene therapy using cytokine genes. In the case of immune gene therapy, our team of neurosurgeons at Nagoya University developed a new form of treatment using the cationic liposome entrapped human interferon-beta gene, and use of this clinical protocol commenced in April, 2000.