| 摘要 |
The present invention provides an effective approach to inducing apoptosis of cancer cells, for anti-cancer therapy, using modified herpes viruses (HSV). The modification, deletion of an immediate early gene, results in a replication defective HSV (rdHSV). As a result of deletion of the immediate early gene, specifically ICP27 or ICP4, or both, the modified HSV is unable to complete its replication cycle while inducing apoptosis of the infected tumor cell. A particular advantage of this approach is that induction of apoptosis is specific for tumor cells, but not for normal cells. Moreover, the modified HSV can be engineered to contain a cancer therapeutic gene, i.e., it can act as a cancer therapeutic gene therapy vector, although it has potent anti-tumor activity on its own.
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