Gene therapy for cancer

Abstract

The structure of DNA was unraveled by Watson and Crick in 1953, and two decades later Arber, Nathans and Smith discovered DNA restriction enzymes which led to the rapid growth in the field of recombinant DNA technology. From expressing cloned genes in bacteria to expressing foreign DNA in transgenic animals, DNA is now slated to be used as a therapeutic agent to replace defective genes in patients suffering from genetic disorders or to kill tumour cells in cancer patients. Thus a new modality of treatment has emerged based on recombinant DNA technology which is termed as gene therapy. Although single gene defects are more amenable to gene therapy, majority of the ongoing clinical trials are for treatment of cancer. Various strategies are now being tested in clinical trials in gene therapy for cancer.