595: The Development of a Cellular Delivery System for RNA Interference Targeted to Canine Tumors
Grant Status: Closed
Abstract
From our own studies, expression of the enzyme telomerase has emerged as a central unifying mechanism underlying the immortal phenotype of cancer cells and has thus become a candidate for targeted molecular therapies. In vitro, we have demonstrated that RNA inhibition (RNAi) using Small Interfering RNAs (siRNA) is a promising mechanism for targeting telomerase. However, the clinical development of such a therapy will rely on the parallel development of efficient delivery systems. With Canine Health Foundation support (An Investigation into Combined Molecular Approaches to Treat Hemangiosarcoma) we have developed an siRNA molecule that effectively and efficiently blocks telomerase expression. Further, we have improved efficiency of this system by incorporating this molecule in a lentiviral vector system. This project aims to expand this study to develop an effective cellular delivery system whereby this vector can be delivered systemically to cancer patients to target the primary tumor and metastatic deposits.
Publication(s)
Related Grants
- 00978-A: Isolation of the Canine Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (TERT) Subunit and Generation of Dominant-Negative Mutants for Telomerase Inhibition
- 00888-A: Generation of Canine Single Chain Fragment Variable Antibody Libraries for the Identification and Targeting of Tumor-Associated Antigens in the Dog
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