Author/Editor		Pavlin, Darja; Tozon, Nataša; Serša, Gregor; Pogačnik, Azra; Čemažar, Maja
Title		Electrogene therapy in cancer treatment
Translated title		Elektrogenska terapija pri zdravljenju raka
Type		članek
Source		Slov Vet Res
Vol. and No.		Letnik 43, št. 2
Publication year		2006
Volume		str. 77-84
Language		eng
Abstract		Gene therapy offers the prospect of efficient and highly specific therapy of cancer. Vectors for introduction of therapeutic genes into target tissue can be broadly classified into viral and non-viral vectors. Viral vectors provide highly efficient gene delivery technique, but there are some major concerns regarding their safety for patients. Non-viral techniques involve delivery of naked plasmid DNA into tissue using physical methods, such as electroporation or gene gun technique or deliveries mediated by chemical carriers, for example cationic polymers or lipids. Non-viral methods provide safer, but less efficient alternative compared to viral DNA delivery. Electroporation is method for delivery of various molecules into the cells by transiently increasing permeability of cell membrane using application of controlled external electrical field to the cells. Electroporation-based DNA delivery or electrogene therapy involves injection of plasmid DNA into target tissue, followed by application of controlled electric pulses. In electrogene therapy of cancer, therapeutic genes are usually transferred either intratumorally or intramusculary. Until now, electrogene therapy using a variety of therapeutic genes, mostly encoding cytokines, but also antiangiogenic factors, suicidal and apoptosis inducing genes has shown promising results for effective cancer therapy in preclinical studies.
Descriptors		NEOPLASMS ELECTROPORATION GENE THERAPY DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS DNA RNA