Gene-Based Therapies for Cancer
Cancer gene therapy is a novel therapy that targets the underlying genetic defects in the cancer cell. Progress in this field has been rapid and gene therapy promises to further extend personalized cancer treatment. In this volume leading experts have con
- PDF / 6,566,972 Bytes
- 281 Pages / 439.37 x 666.142 pts Page_size
- 66 Downloads / 198 Views
For other titles published in this series, go to www.springer.com/series/7892
Jack A. Roth Editor
Gene-Based Therapies for Cancer
Editor Jack A. Roth, M.D., F.A.C.S. Professor and Bud Johnson Clinical Distinguished Chair, Department of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery; Professor of Molecular and Cellular Oncology; Director, W.M. Keck Center for Innovative Cancer Therapies; Chief, Section of Thoracic Molecular Oncology; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, TX USA [email protected]
ISBN 978-1-4419-6101-3 e-ISBN 978-1-4419-6102-0 DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-6102-0 Springer New York Dordrecht Heidelberg London Library of Congress Control Number: 2010931279 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010 All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject to proprietary rights. While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of going to press, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
Foreword
Cancer is a disease of dysfunctional genes. Normal cellular genes that regulate cell proliferation develop carcinogen-induced, or rarely, germline mutations that alter the gene product so that it is permanently in an active configuration. Examples include the Kras oncogene and the epidermal growth factor receptor. These oncogenes confer the property of unlimited replication to cancer cells. Genes that normally suppress cell growth or induce programmed cell death, after sensing DNA damage, develop inactivating mutations in the cancer cell. Examples include the p53 tumor suppressor gene and the retinoblastoma gene. Inactivation of these tumor suppressor genes removes essential growth control mechanisms from the cell. Strategies for replacing inactivated tumor suppressor genes or inactivating oncogenes are logical extensions of the gene therapy concept. Investigators have been pursuing these concepts for almost 20 years, but slow progress in developing systemic delivery vehicles for genes and the ability to target tumors, and fragmentary knowledge of the critical genes to target, have limited progress. Recently, significant progress
Data Loading...
