Publication: Gene therapy strategies for intracranial tumours, glioma and pituitary adenomas
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Date
2000
Authors
Castro, M.G. ; Cowen, R. ; Smith-Arica, J. ; Williams, J. ; Ali, S. ; Windeatt, S. ; Gonzalez-Nicolini, V. ; Maleniak, T. ; Lowenstein, P.R.
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Publisher
Murcia : F. Hernández
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DOI
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Description
Abstract
Intracranial tumours such as brain gliomas
and pituitary adenomas pose a challenging area of
research for the development of gene therapy strategies,
both from the point of view of the severity of the
diseases, to the physiological implication of gene
delivery into the central nervous system and pituitary
gland. On the one hand, brain gliomas are very
malignant tumours, with a life expectancy of six months
to a year at the most after the time of diagnosis, in spite
of advances in treatment modalities which involve
chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy. Gene therapy
for these tumours is therefore a very attractive
therapeutic modality which due to the severity of the
disease is already in clinical trials. On the other hand,
pituitary tumours are usually benign, and in most cases,
treatment is successful. Nevertheless, there are some
instances, especially with the macroadenomas and some
invasive tumours in which treatment fails. Gene therapy
strategies for these adenomas therefore needs to progress
substantially in terms of safety, adverse side effects and
physiological impact on the normal pituitary gland
before clinical implementation.
In this paper, we will review gene delivery systems
both viral and non-viral and several therapeutic
strategies which could be implemented for the treatment
of these diseases. These include cytotoxic approaches
both conditional and direct, immune-stimulatory
strategies, anti-angiogenic strategies and approaches
which harness pro-apoptotic and tumour suppressor gene
targets. We will also review the models which are
currently available in which these gene therapy
strategies can be tested experimentally.
This new therapeutic modality holds enormous
promise, but we still need substantial improvements both
from the delivery, efficacy and safety stand points before
it can become a clinical reality.
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