Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 25, 2026

Paramyxoviruses for Tumor-targeted Immunomodulation: Design and Evaluation Ex Vivo
12:42

Paramyxoviruses for Tumor-targeted Immunomodulation: Design and Evaluation Ex Vivo

Published on: January 7, 2019

Osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma as targets for virus vectors and herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase/ganciclovir

Anna Ketola1, Ann-Marie Määttä, Tiina Pasanen

  • 1Department of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland.

International Journal of Molecular Medicine
|April 7, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HSV-TK)/ganciclovir (GCV) suicide gene therapy shows promise for bone tumors. Lentiviruses are effective vectors for delivering this therapy to osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma cells.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Gene Therapy
  • Virology

Background:

  • Osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma are primary bone cancers.
  • Herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HSV-TK)/ganciclovir (GCV) suicide gene therapy is a potential treatment.
  • Systematic studies on gene therapy for bone tumors are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of HSV-TK/GCV suicide gene therapy in bone tumor cells.
  • To assess adenovirus and lentivirus as vectors for gene delivery.
  • To investigate the bystander effect in bone cancer gene therapy.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized three osteosarcoma cell lines (Saos-2, U-2-OS, MG-63) and one chondrosarcoma cell line (SW1353).
  • Employed adenovirus and lentivirus vectors for gene delivery.
  • Measured HSV-TK expression and cytotoxic effects, including the bystander effect.

Main Results:

  • Bone tumor cell lines were susceptible to adenovirus- or lentivirus-mediated gene delivery.
  • These cell lines are suitable targets for HSV-TK/GCV therapy.
  • Cytotoxicity correlated with the bystander effect.
  • Lentiviruses demonstrated high transduction efficiency and effective HSV-TK expression.

Conclusions:

  • HSV-TK/GCV suicide gene therapy is a viable option for osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma.
  • Lentiviruses show significant potential as vectors for bone cancer gene therapy due to high efficiency and efficacy.

More Related Videos

Transarterial Administration of Oncolytic Viruses for Locoregional Therapy of Orthotopic HCC in Rats08:55

Transarterial Administration of Oncolytic Viruses for Locoregional Therapy of Orthotopic HCC in Rats

Published on: April 15, 2016

Related Concept Videos

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer01:03

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer

Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand  RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer01:03

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer

Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand  RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
Gene Therapy00:59

Gene Therapy

Gene therapy is a technique where a gene is inserted into a person’s cells to prevent or treat a serious disease. The added gene may be a healthy version of the gene that is mutated in the patient, or it could be a different gene that inactivates or compensates for the patient’s disease-causing gene. For example, in patients with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) due to a mutation in the gene for the enzyme adenosine deaminase, a functioning version of the gene can be inserted. The...
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
Antiviral Nucleoside Inhibitors01:22

Antiviral Nucleoside Inhibitors

Antiviral Nucleoside InhibitorsAntiviral nucleoside inhibitors are structural analogs of natural nucleosides that interfere with viral DNA or RNA synthesis. These compounds selectively target viral polymerases due to their resemblance to host nucleosides, thereby disrupting viral genome replication.Mechanism of Acyclovir ActionAcyclovir is a guanosine analog with a three-carbon acyclic side chain. It selectively targets herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2),...