A Novel Gene Gun-Mediated IL-12 Gene Therapy for Breast Cancer
Abstract
The overall goal of our research is to develop an immunological approach for breast cancer gene therapy. The results of the first year study, described in our previous Annual Report, show that gene gun-mediated IL-12 gene therapy is effective against breast tumors in mouse models. During the second year of this study we demonstrated that 4T1 tumor is weakly immunogenic, and it can induce a low level immune response. However, the anti-metastatic effect of IL-12 gene therapy against 4T1 tumor is not mediated by T cells, but rather involves NK cells. From several different immunomidulatory genes tested in combination with IL-12 gene therapy, IL-18 and ICE were found to be more effective in treatment of established TS/A breast tumor than IL-12 alone. In a separate, but strategically relevant approach for cancer gene immunotherapy, a striking antitumor effect was demonstrated in mice vaccinated with a gene encoding the tumor-associated antigen gp100 in combination with a GM-CSF gene. The results of this study strongly suggest that gene gun-mediated in vivo IL-12 gene therapy approach in combination with other immunological approaches may be developed as an effective and safe alternative to systemic IL- 12 protein for treatment of breast cancer.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA368315
Entities
People
- Ning-sun Yang