SMALL OLIGONUCLEOTIDES WITH ANTI-TUMOR ACTIVITY

摘要

The present invention provides short antisense oligonucleotide compositions and methods for their use in the treatment of Bcl-2-associated diseases like cancer, such as follicular lymphoma (FL). The antisense oligonucleotides contain sequences that hybridize to Bcl-2 nucleic acids, the gene products of which are known to interact with the tumorigenic protein Bcl-2. The use of novel short antisense oligonucleotides, from 7 bases to 9 bases in length, is described in this invention. The invention also describes certain specific sequences which are longer than 9 bases and are 11 or 15 bases long. Used alone, or in conjunction with other antisense oligonucleotides, these antisense oligonucleotide compositions inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells.