An overview of the Tenth International Conference on Cancer Gene Therapy

Dr. Scanlon, the new president (2001-2002) of the International Society of Cancer Gene Therapy, gave the conference summary and an overview of gene therapy in the new millennium. The conference reflected the progress made in the development of new promoters and improved delivery systems for gene therapy. Many presentations and posters focused on the progress in these areas. These scientific findings in the field of gene therapy may ultimately be exploited in the future developments of stem cell research. Conversely, challenges still remain before gene therapy will significantly impact cancer. The basic science of the cancer model systems lacked the ability to reflect the clinical reality of patient treatment. This places the burden on the physicians to be more vigilant to subtle changes in patient response that were not observed in the preclinical models. The bystander effect has yet to be fully understood and needs further clinical validation. Systemic delivery needs to be further addressed before a marketable product can be developed. The delivery systems discussed at the conference lack the ability to achieve pharmacological doses of therapeutic genes in the target tissue. Until these challenges are addressed, gene therapy will remain on the sidelines as a cancer modality. Yet, the field should be optimistic with the current progress. The future influences of the digital and genomic revolution in the health care industry will certainly impact the design of products for gene therapy. Dr. Scanlon concluded that the education of scientists would cross over into diverse disciplines so that novel observations will be exploited for new therapies. This gene therapy series will continue with the International Conference on the Gene Therapy of Cancer, scheduled for December 13-15, 2001, in San Diego, CA.