The present state and future strategies of gene therapy for prostate cancer in Okayama university - from basic research to translational research -

We started a clinical study of prostate cancer gene therapy in 2001 with adenovirus vector-mediated herpes simplex virus-thymidine kinase gene transduction and ganciclovir. The Center for Gene and Cell Therapy was set up within the hospital of Okayama University by ministerial decree in 2003 and the institution now has the capability and facility to manufacture cGMP products. A number of basic research studies and efforts to create gene therapy for prostate cancer have been undertaken in our university. This has resulted in us disclosing and characterizing a novel tumor suppressor gene, REIC, and we demonstrated its utility for prostate cancer gene therapy in the mouse model. Adenovirus vector-mediated REIC gene transfer efficiently induced apoptosis in cancer cells but not in normal epithelial cells. On the other hand, we previously constructed OBP-301 (Telomelysin, a tumor- or telomerase-specific replication-competent adenovirus). OBP-301 showed strong anticancer effects, inducing cell lysis of human prostate cancer cells. For promotion of translational research using gene therapeutic intervention in Japan, we recently received a national grant from Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology, entitled "Formation of Innovation Center for Fusion of Advanced Technologies". Our project title is "Establishing fusional bases to create nanobio-molecular targeting medicine". Based on this background, we here report our present work and future strategies for basic and preclinical research into prostate cancer gene therapy in terms of REIC gene, Telomelysin and the grant concept.