Using living cells to transport therapeutic genes for cancer treatment

Abstract

One of the key problems in cancer gene therapy is the inefficient delivery of therapeutic transgenes to tumour sites, after the systemic injection of the viral vector. Hence, new vector discovery is extremely important for the improvement of gene therapy results. Previously, mammalian cells were proposed as new vector systems; however with recent advances in stem cell research this modality makes them more suitable candidates. Tumours are composed of both malignant and benign cells. As "benign" cell types are able to form blood vessels, and stroma, it has been hypothesised that exogenously administrated cells of a different kind would preferentially engraft at the stromal tumour site and could deliver cancer gene therapy vectors to tumours.