“A type of experimental treatment in which foreign genetic material ( DNA or RNA) is inserted into a person’s cell to prevent or fight with cancer”

1. Gene Therapy in Cancer Biology
By,
Shanjitha Shanmugasundaram,
Biotech Vibes with Shanji.

2. For Queries, Suggestions and Doubts
Contact me,
biotechvibeswithshanji@gmail.com

3. Gene Therapy
“A type of experimental treatment in which
foreign genetic material ( DNA or RNA) is
inserted into a person’s cell to prevent or fight
with cancer”

4. Types of Gene Therapy
• Germ line Germ Therapy
Germ-line gene therapy is when DNA is
transferred into the cells that produce
reproductive cells, eggs or sperm, in the body.
This type of therapy allows for the correction of
disease-causing gene variants that are certain to
be passed down from generation to generation.

5. Types of Gene Therapy
• Somatic Gene Therapy
The theraupautic genes are transferred into
somatic cells of a patient
Any modifications is restricted with in the
individuals

6. Three different types of Approach
1. Immunotherapy
2. Onco-lytic viro therapy
3. Gene transfer

7. Immunotherapy in Cancer
Immunotherapy uses genetically modified cells
and viral particles to stimulate the immune
system to destroy cancer cells.
a. With altered cancer cell
b. With gene invivo
c. Using altered immune cells

8. a. Immunotherapy with altered cancer
cell

9. b. Immunotherapy with gene invivo

10. c. Immunotherapy using altered
immune cells

11. • Recent clinical trials of second and third generation
vaccines have shown encouraging results with a wide
range of cancers, including lung cancer, pancreatic
cancer, prostate cancer and malignant melanoma.
• As with any cancer monotherapy, combination
therapy using vaccines may be more effective than
vaccine therapy alone.
• Cancer vaccines that have presented only modest
immune response may find usefulness as an adjuvant
therapy for use after surgery or chemotherapy to
eliminate any remaining cancer cells.

12. Genes in-charge - Immunotherapy
Prostate Cancer - Murine (1,3) – galactosyl transferase
Pancreatic Cancer – CEA & MUC-1
Prostate Cancer – GMCSF
Lymphoma Cancer – GMCSF & CD4OL
Melanoma – IL-2
Kidney Cancer – CD-80

13. 2. Oncolytic Agents
“Oncolytic viro therapy, which uses viral
particles that replicate within the cancer cell to
cause cell death”.
• A number of different viruses have been used
for this purpose, including vaccinia,
adenovirus, herpes simplex virus type I,
retrovirus and Newcastle disease virus.

14. Retrovirus
• A retrovirus is a type of RNA virus that inserts a copy of its
genome into the DNA of the host cell that invades, thus
changing the genome of the cell.
• Once inside the host cell’s cytoplasm, the virus uses its own
reverse transcriptase enzyme to produce DNA from its RNA
genome ( the reverse of the usual pattern, thus retro)
• he new DNA is then incorporated into the host
cell genome by an integrase enzyme, at which point the
retroviral DNA is referred to as a provirus. The host cell then
treats the viral DNA as part of its own genome, transcribing
and translating the viral genes along with the cell's own
genes, producing the proteins required to assemble new
copies of the virus.

15. • Oncolytic vectors are designed to infect cancer cells and
induce cell death through the propagation of the virus,
expression of cytotoxic proteins and cell lysis.
• It’s an emerging treatment modality that shows great
promise, particularly with metastatic cancers.

16. 3. Gene transfer
“Gene transfer is a new treatment modality that
introduces new genes into a cancerous cell or the
surrounding tissue to cause cell death or slow the
growth of the cancer”.
• Genes with a number of different functions have
been proposed for this type of therapy, including
Suicide genes (genes that cause cellular death
when expressed)
Anti-angiogenesis genes and
Cellular stasis genes

17. • This treatment technique is very flexible, and
a wide range of genes and vectors are being
used in clinical trials with successful
outcomes.

18. Genes in-charge - Gene Therapy
Pancreatic Cancer – Rexin-G, TNF – α
Glioblastoma – HSVtk
Head and Neck – p53

19. Sterio-type Gene
• p53 – Genome guardian
It act to kill cancer cell, supress cancer cell growth
and prevent cells from becoming cancerous.
Gendicine – drug composed mainly of human p53
tumor supressor gene and modifies adenovirus.
Functions:
Triggering the activity of natural killer cells
Decrease the tumor resistance to radiotherapy
and chemotherapy.

20. Advantages of Gene therapy with
Cancer
It has the potential to kill cancer cells
It gives a chance of life to someone who is
born with mutated cancer gene.
It can be used to eradicate disease from the
future disease.

21. Dis-advantages of Gene therapy with
Cancer
It is a expensive treatment
Gene therapt requires ongoing treatment to
be effective
The genetic testing, screening, research in
finding the availability of certain gene is very
controversy.