Development of Targeted Therapy for Ovarian Cancer Mediated by a Plasmid Expressing Diphtheria Toxin Under the Control of H19 Regulatory Sequences

Overview

Journal J Transl Med

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialties Biomedical Engineering
General Medicine

Date 2009 Aug 7

PMID 19656414

Citations 80

Authors

Aya Mizrahi

Abraham Czerniak

Tally Levy

Smadar Amiur

Jennifer Gallula

Imad Matouk

Rasha Abu-Lail

Vladimir Sorin

Tatiana Birman

Nathan De Groot

Abraham Hochberg

Patricia Ohana

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Ovarian cancer ascites fluid (OCAF), contains malignant cells, is usually present in women with an advanced stage disease and currently has no effective therapy. Hence, we developed a new therapy strategy to target the expression of diphtheria toxin gene under the control of H19 regulatory sequences in ovarian tumor cells. H19 RNA is present at high levels in human cancer tissues (including ovarian cancer), while existing at a nearly undetectable level in the surrounding normal tissue.

Methods: H19 gene expression was tested in cells from OCAF by the in-situ hybridization technique (ISH) using an H19 RNA probe. The therapeutic potential of the toxin vector DTA-H19 was tested in ovarian carcinoma cell lines and in a heterotopic animal model for ovarian cancer.

Results: H19 RNA was detected in 90% of patients with OCAF as determined by ISH. Intratumoral injection of DTA-H19 into ectopically developed tumors caused 40% inhibition of tumor growth.

Conclusion: These observations may be the first step towards a major breakthrough in the treatment of human OCAF, while the effect in solid tumors required further investigation. It should enable us to identify likely non-responders in advance, and to treat patients who are resistant to all known therapies, thereby avoiding treatment failure.

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