Noninvasive imaging of herpes virus thymidine kinase gene transfer and expression: a potential method for monitoring clinical gene therapy.

An Enterovirus-Like RNA Construct for Colon Cancer Suicide Gene Therapy

Background: In gene therapy, the use of RNA molecules as therapeutic agents has shown advantages over plasmid DNA, including higher levels of safety. However, transient nature of RNA has been a major obstacle in application of RNA in gene therapy. Methods: Here, we used the internal ribosomal entry site of encephalomyocarditis virus and the 3’ non-translated region of Poliovirus to design an en...

Restriction Enzyme Analysis of Thymidine Kinase Gene in Four Iranian Isolates of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1

PCR detection of thymidine kinase gen of latent herpes simplex Virus type 1 in mice trigeminal ganglia

  Herpes simplex virus type 1 establishes a latent infection in the peripheral nervous system following primary infection. During latent infection, virus genome exhibit limited transcription, with the HSV LATs consistently detected in latency infected ganaglia. Following ocular infection viral latency develops in the trigeminal ganglia. In this study PCR has been used for detection of HSV-1 nuc...

Imaging herpes virus thymidine kinase gene transfer and expression by positron emission tomography.

We report a series of studies that assess the feasibility and sensitivity of imaging of herpes virus type one thymidine kinase (HSV1-tk) gene transfer and expression with [124I]-5-iodo-2'-fluoro-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyluracil ([124I]-FIAU) and positron emission tomography (PET) and the ability of [124I]-FIAU-PET imaging to discriminate different levels of HSV1-tk gene expression. Studies were ...

A dual function fusion protein of Herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase and firefly luciferase for noninvasive in vivo imaging of gene therapy in malignant glioma

BACKGROUND: Suicide gene therapy employing the prodrug activating system Herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HSV-TK)/ ganciclovir (GCV) has proven to be effective in killing experimental brain tumors. In contrast, glioma patients treated with HSV-TK/ GCV did not show significant treatment benefit, most likely due to insufficient transgene delivery to tumor cells. Therefore, this study...

Micro-PET/CT monitoring of herpes thymidine kinase suicide gene therapy in a prostate cancer xenograft: the advantage of a cell-specific transcriptional targeting approach.

Cancer gene therapy based on tissue-restricted expression of cytotoxic gene should achieve superior therapeutic index over an unrestricted method. This study compared the therapeutic effects of a highly augmented, prostate-specific gene expression method to a strong constitutive promoter-driven approach. Molecular imaging was coupled to gene therapy to ascertain real-time therapeutic activity. ...