Gene therapy of hepatocarcinoma: a long way from the concept to the therapeutical impact

Inhibition of hepatocarcinoma by systemic delivery of Apoptin gene via the hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor

“…1,2 At present, anticancer therapies are limited by side toxicity to normal tissues and the occurrence of therapy-resistant tumor cells. 2 The viral death effector Apoptin protein [3][4][5][6] induces apoptosis in various hepatocarcinoma-derived cells, [7][8][9] but not in human primary hepatocytes. 10 Van der Eb et al 11 demonstrated that adenovirus-mediated intratumoral transfer and expression of the Apoptin gene resulted in regression or complete remission of human hepatocarcinomas grown as xenografts in immune-deficient mice.…”

Blockage of HGF/c-Met system by gene therapy (adenovirus-mediated NK4 gene) suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma in mice

“…New therapeutic strategies therefore are required to improve outcome in HCC. Among various experimental molecular anticancer treatments [4][5][6][7][8][9], anti-angiogenic treatment has emerged as a particularly exciting development [10][11][12]. Angiogenesis, required for invasive tumor growth and metastasis, represents an important control point in cancer progression [13][14][15].…”

Engineered measles virus as a novel oncolytic viral therapy system for hepatocellular carcinoma

“…3,[5][6][7][8][9] Many therapeutic alternatives are being explored, including hormonal therapy, immunotherapy, and gene therapy. [10][11][12] The current approach to gene therapy for HCC is to use viral and nonviral gene therapy systems. Unfortunately, most of these systems suffer from serious drawbacks such as low efficacy or safety.…”

“…Unfortunately, most of these systems suffer from serious drawbacks such as low efficacy or safety. 10 The increasing incidence, the lack of effective therapies, and the devastating prognosis of HCC support the urgent need for new therapeutic agents that are both safe and effective.…”