In a study published in the Journal of Radiation Oncology on Dec. 12, researchers from the Houston Methodist Hospital manipulated prostate cancer cells using a combination of viruses and adenovirus, the virus known to cause the common cold, to deliver a herpes virus gene into the patients’ cells. Once the herpes virus gene was delivered and began producing thymidine kinase [TK], patients were given an anti-herpes drug. “The combination attacked the herpes DNA, and the TK-producing tumor cells self-destructed, which is why the procedure is called ‘suicide gene therapy,'” explained Brian Butler, from Houston Methodist.
Patients with less severe cases of cancer had a 97% five-year survival rate, while patients suffering from more severe cancer cases had 94% survival rate, five to 20 percent better than that from current procedures. The patients who completed the clinical trial were also found to have high five-year freedom from failure rates, which means there were no indication of cancer recurrence in biochemical testing.
The results were very encouraging since some of the patients involved in the study were already deemed incurable. At present there are various clinical studies in Phase 1 to Phase III stages. The therapy may also provide promise to the way other cancers are treated and continues to be an area of ACGT-supported research.