SELF-DELETING VECTORS FOR CANCER THERAPY

摘要

The invention relates to vectors for cancer therapy which as a result of genetic differences between normal and transformed cells selectively eliminate the latter. This is made possible by integrating a sequence-specific recombinase into a viral or non-viral expression vector, whose expression is controlled by a transcription factor which has mutated in tumour cells and is therefore inactive, as well as by a suicide gene which is flanked by at least one recombinase-specific target sequence. Through the transcription-factor-mediated activation of the sequence-specific recombinase the vector is eliminated from untransforme d cells together with the suicide gene. The vector is, however, not eliminated from tumour cells in which the transcription factor is not active and expresses the suicide gene in said cells. After contact with a corresponding prodrug these cells are selectively killed off.