Gen- und Immuntherapie des hepatozellulären Karzinoms: Fakten und Fiktionen im Jahr 2003

Gene therapeutic strategies are based on the transfer and the expression of nucleic acids encoding for various therapeutic genes. Expression of tumor suppressor genes or of suicide genes may inhibit tumor growth or induce tumor cell death by apoptosis, whereas expression of angiogenesis inhibitors aims at the disruption of the tumor blood supply. Furthermore, genetic vaccination with nucleic acids encoding for tumor antigens and the expression of immunomodulatory genes in tumor tissue may induce specific immune responses against the tumor. Oncolytic viruses which are able to replicate exclusively in tumor cells and which may directly kill tumor cells by cell lysis or which carry therapeutic genes are an additional novel therapeutic approach.