University of Virginia Patent Foundation

Robert A Sikes

Chinghai Kao

Song-Chu Ko

Jun Cheon

Leland W Chung

Leland W K Chung

A therapeutic agent based on a recombinant adenovirus which employs an osteocalcin promoter for the expression of thymidine kinase can be administered intravascularly to treat metastatic cancer, including osteosarcoma, breast cancer, prostate cancer, ocular melanoma or brain cancer. Systemic administration of this agent provides a preferred route over previous disclosure of local direct administration. The same therapeutic agent can be effectively employed in the treatment of benign conditions, including benign prostatic hypertrophy and arteriosclerosis.

Utilization of osteocalcin promoter to deliver therapeutic genes to tumors

In vivo suppression of osteosarcoma pulmonary metastasis with

A recombinant adenovirus Ad-OC-TK was constructed, with cell specific gene expression, which contains osteocalcin (OC) promoter that drives the expression of herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (TK); the addition of acyclovir (ACV), a pro-drug for the inhibition of cell proliferation, to Ad-OC-TK resulted in the induction of osteoblast-specific cell death in vitro. The Ad-OC-TK virus plus ACV treatment is highly selective in blocking the growth of both murine and human osteosarcoma cell lines in vitro and murine osteosarcoma in vivo.

Osteocalcin promoter-based toxic gene therapy for the treatment of

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Charlottesville, VA, United States of America

Robert A Sikes