Study of Virus Spread from Tumors During Gene Therapy
Author Information
Author(s): Wang Y, Yang Z, Liu S, Kon T, Krol A, Li C-Y, Yuan F
Primary Institution: Duke University
Hypothesis
How does systemic virus dissemination occur during local gene delivery in solid tumors?
Conclusion
The study found that systemic virus dissemination mainly occurs within the first 10 minutes after intratumoral infusion due to convective transport into leaky tumor microvessels.
Supporting Evidence
- Transgene expression was observed in the liver and tumor at 24 hours after infusion.
- The peak concentration of viral vectors in the plasma occurred during the intratumoral infusion.
- Most tumor cells injected intravenously accumulated in the lung within the first 24 hours.
- 80% of mice had a ratio of adenoviruses between liver and tumor greater than 2.
Takeaway
When doctors inject a virus into a tumor to help treat cancer, most of the virus spreads to other parts of the body very quickly, especially to the liver.
Methodology
Adenoviral vectors were infused into three different tumor models in mice, and the amount of adenoviruses in the tumor, blood, and liver was measured at various time points.
Limitations
The study was conducted in mice, which may not fully represent human responses.
Participant Demographics
Female Balb/c and C57BL/6 mice, 4–6 weeks old.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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