Viral Vector News and Research

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Viral Vector is a type of virus used in cancer therapy. The virus is changed in the laboratory and cannot cause disease. Viral vectors may produce tumor antigens (proteins found on a tumor cell) to stimulate an antitumor immune response in the body. Viral vectors may also be used to carry genes that can change cancer cells back to normal cells.

Review shows lipid nanoparticles as highly promising delivery systems in gene therapy

Lipid nanoparticles (SLNs and NLCs) are regarded as highly promising systems for delivering nucleic acids in gene therapy.

14 Feb 2017

CeMM scientists develop new method by integrating CRISPR genome editing with single-cell sequencing

Genome editing using CRISPR/Cas9 "gene scissors" is a powerful tool for biological discovery and for identifying novel drug targets.

19 Jan 2017

Protein involved in neurological disorders can travel from brain to stomach

Researchers of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases have found that "alpha-synuclein", a protein involved in a series of neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease, is capable of travelling from brain to stomach and that it does so following a specific pathway.

5 Jan 2017

Researchers come up with new approach to stabilize vaccines at room temperature

Shipping vaccines in an unbroken temperature-controlled supply chain (a "cold chain") all the way to recipients is a major logistical and financial challenge in remote areas and developing countries.

30 Nov 2016

Novel ‘gene therapy in a box’ could effectively deliver modified blood stem cells

A table-top device that enables medical staff to genetically manipulate a patient's blood to deliver potential new therapies for cancer, HIV and other diseases would eliminate the need for multi-million-dollar "clean rooms," making gene therapy more possible for even the poorest of countries.

24 Oct 2016

Oligodendrocytes selectively myelinate specific set of neuronal axons, research shows

There are three kinds of glial cells in the brain, oligodendrocyte, astrocyte and microglia. Oligodendrocytes myelinate neuronal axons to increase conduction velocity of neuronal impulses.

21 Oct 2016

Clinical study results reveal long-term safety of gene transfer to treat macular degeneration

The long-term safety of gene transfer to treat neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD), and the production of two therapeutic proteins encoded by those genes for at least 2.5 years in the eyes of patients with advanced NVAMD are demonstrated in the results of a clinical trial published in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

20 Oct 2016

Gene therapy may be viable approach for treating CF lung problems

Two new studies from the University of Iowa suggest that gene therapy may be a viable approach for treating or preventing lung disease caused by cystic fibrosis.

20 Sep 2016

Viral vector-based approaches could improve effectiveness of CFTR gene therapy

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by accumulation of thick mucus in the lungs and is associated with a high incidence of bacterial infection. Mutations in the gene encoding CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) underlie the disease.

9 Sep 2016

Nanoscope researchers develop novel VMCO and NOD platform for patients with vision loss

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 285 million people are estimated to be visually impaired worldwide. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of vision loss in aging populations.

11 Jul 2016

NYU dentists receive grant to test whether non-viral gene delivery can effectively treat oral cancer pain

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded Drs. Brian Schmidt and Seiichi Yamano a $1.2M (3-year) grant to test whether their non-viral gene delivery method can effectively and safely treat oral cancer pain.

28 Jun 2016

Experimental therapy stops glioblastoma, high-grade gliomas in human cells and mouse models

Researchers report in the journal Cancer Cell an experimental therapy that in laboratory tests on human cells and mouse models stops aggressive, treatment-resistant and deadly brain cancers called glioblastoma and high-grade gliomas.

10 May 2016

Novel gene therapy can treat pulmonary hypertension linked with heart failure

Scientists have used a novel gene therapy to halt the progression of pulmonary hypertension, a form of high blood pressure in the lung blood vessels that is linked to heart failure, according to a study led by Roger J. Hajjar, MD, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Cardiovascular Research Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

30 Apr 2016

Pioneering gene therapy may lead to potential cure for common causes of vision loss

Pioneering gene therapy has restored some vision to patients with a rare form of genetic blindness for as long as four years, raising hopes it could be used to cure common causes of vision loss, new University of Oxford research published today shows.

29 Apr 2016

Penn researchers report results of CAR therapy trial in brain cancer patients

Immune cells engineered to seek out and attack a type of deadly brain cancer known as glioblastoma (GBM) were found to have an acceptable safety profile and successfully migrate to and infiltrate tumors, researchers from Penn Medicine and Harvard University reported at the AACR Annual Meeting 2016.

19 Apr 2016

Study shows children with rare eye disease have greatest benefit from gene therapy

Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University's Casey Eye Institute and Baylor College of Medicine's Cullen Eye Institute published findings from a two-year Phase I clinical trial in the journal Ophthalmology, which showed that children had the greatest benefit from gene therapy for treatment of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) or severe early childhood onset retinal degeneration (SECORD).

18 Apr 2016

Prime boost approach can increase possibility of combined HCV and HIV vaccination

A combined vaccination against Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV moved a step closer, with the results of a study presented at The International Liver Congress 2016 in Barcelona, Spain today.

13 Apr 2016

Researchers develop novel vaccine strategy to protect against Chikungunya virus

The Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is transmitted through mosquitoes and causes fever and joint pain that can sometimes become severe and disabling. Outbreaks of the virus have already occurred in Africa, Asia, and Europe, and in late 2013, the virus was first seen in the Americas with the number of cases dramatically increased. No vaccine to prevent or treat this virus currently exists.

2 Apr 2016

Combining photoimmunotherapy and gene transduction effective against elusive gastric cancer cells

Researchers report photoimmunotherapy to be effective against elusive gastric cancer cells following transduction with the gene that expresses the extracellular domain protein of HER2. The results are published in the journal Small Molecule Therapeutics in February 2016.

15 Mar 2016

Cell Therapy Catapult becomes Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult

The Cell Therapy Catapult, the UK organisation dedicated to the growth of the UK cell and gene therapy industry by bridging the gap between scientific research and commercialisation, today announces the official change of its name to the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult.

4 Feb 2016