Funded Research 2006

A gene therapy strategy for metastastic prostate cancer: use of a novel molecular switch for transcriptional targeting of iNOS.
Prof David Hirst, Dr Tracy Robson & Dr Helen McCarthy, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University, Belfast

Prostate cancer is now the most common male malignancy throughout the developed world. Sadly, the current options, such as chemo or hormone therapy, for patients whose cancer has spread provide only temporary remission and rarely a cure. There is, therefore, a pressing need for better treatment options for this group of patients.

Gene therapy has been identified as being particularly appropriate for the treatment of prostate cancer because specific targeting of prostate cancer cells is possible, so minimising damage to healthy tissue.

We are developing a gene therapy that generates high concentrations of nitric oxide, a gas that occurs naturally at low levels in the body and performs many vital functions such as controlling blood pressure. High concentrations, however, cause cells, especially cancer cells to die and it also makes them more sensitive to conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. Our gene therapy, designed specifically for prostate cancer, uses a molecular switch that is activated only by the unique conditions found in prostate cancer cells and not in normal healthy cells. It causes the cells to generate abnormally high concentrations of the enzyme responsible for producing nitric oxide. The very high levels of nitric oxide generated within the cells cause them to commit suicide by a process known as apoptosis.

The grant from the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation will allow us to develop and test this system in isolated cancer cells for future use in a clinical trial.

 

Project commenced
October 2006

Length of project
1 year

Amount Supported
£46,000

 

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