Retrovirus-mediated gene therapy for human hepatocellular carcinoma transplanted in athymic mice

Gene therapy using a retrovirus vector carrying herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene under the control of the 0.3-kb human alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) gene promoter (LNAF0.3TK virus) in combination with ganciclovir (GCV) treatment was performed in athymic mice harboring AFP-producing HuH-7 human hepatoma cells. GCV treatment resulted in pronounced growth inhibition of the virus-infected HuH-7 xenograft in mice, but did not affect growth of the parental xenograft. These results indicate that the AFP gene promoter sequence allows enough therapeutic gene expression to induce the GCV-mediated cytotoxicity in vivo in AFP-producing human hepatoma cells.