RNA interference and nonviral targeted gene therapy of experimental brain cancer.

ABSTRACT: The human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays an oncogenic role in solid cancer, including brain primary and metastatic cancers. Transvascular nonviral gene therapy in combination with EGFR-RNA interference (RNAi) represents a new therapeutic approach to silencing oncogenic genes in solid cancers. This is achieved with pegylated immunoliposomes (PIL) carrying short hairpin RNA expression plasmids driven by the U6 RNA polymerase promoter and directed to target EGFR expression by RNAi. The PIL is comprised of a mixture of known lipids containing polyethyleneglycol (PEG), which stabilizes the PIL structure in vivo in circulation. The tissue target specificity of PILs is given by conjugation of approximately 1% of the PEG residues to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that bind to specific

SUBMITTER: Boado RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC539334 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature