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| PROJECT TITLE | Curing multiple myeloma and other cancers with a novel gene therapy |
| CATEGORY | Multiple Myeloma, Gene Therapy |
| PROJECT DESCRIPTION |
This project
explores a novel method of gene therapy to cure the deadly blood cancer,
multiple myeloma. Most gene
therapy uses a virus to create the gene changes within cancer cells that
cause these cells to self-destruct. Most virus gene therapy cannot alter
every cancer cell with the first dose and cannot be given repeatedly,
since the body's immune system recognizes and destroys the virus on the
second and subsequent doses. Therefore,
current virus gene therapies are rarely curative.
This research will develop a non-virus gene transport system to change cancer cell DNA, and put the particle in an inert micro-bubble to protect it from the body's immune system, so it can be given in multiple doses. In addition, this gene therapy will cause dying cancer cells to destroy other nearby cancer cells. This gene therapy will be specific for only cancer cells, leaving normal cells alone. Once perfected, this type of gene therapy could be used to treat a wide variety of cancers. |
| INVESTIGATORS | Boris R. A. Blechacz, PhD, Steven J. Russell, MD, PhD |
| CO-FUNDERS | Mayo Clinic, Robert Kyle Hematological Disease Fund |
| INSTITUTION | Mayo Clinic 200 First Street SW Rochester, MN 55905 |
| STATUS | Approved for
funding Scheduled to begin 3rd quarter 2004 |
