Suicide Gene Therapy: The Genetic "Kill Switch"
What it is?
Suicide gene therapy is based on the introduction of a viral or a bacterial gene into tumor cells, which allows the conversion of a non-toxic compound into a lethal drug.
Basically suicide gene therapy also known as Gene Directed Enzyme/Prodrug therapy (GDEPT) or as Gene Prodrug Activation Therapy (GPAT) uses viral vectors to deliver suicide genes into tumor cells which possess the enzyme that converts prodrug to active metabolites, it increases the toxicity level several fold inside the tumor whereas the vast majority of the host cells are unaffected. Thus it accomplishes the same end goal of chemother...
