Ablation of tumor cells in vivo by direct injection of HSV-thymidine kinase retroviral vector and ganciclovir therapy.

The introduction of therapeutic genes into proliferating tumor cells in vivo by direct intralesional injection of retroviral vectors can provide an effective and valuable approach for the treatment of a variety of solid tumor types. Efficient transduction of tumor cells in situ by direct injection was demonstrated using a retroviral vector containing the beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) gene. Ablation therapy in vivo was demonstrated using a retroviral vector containing the Herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene (HSV-TK) to deliver the TK gene into the murine colorectal tumor cell line CT26. Ablation of CT26 tumor cells in situ was achieved by directly injecting high-titer HSV-TK retroviral vector preparations into the site of tumor cell inoculation followed by intraperitoneal (i.p.) delivery of ganciclovir (GCV). This gene therapy strategy demonstrated a markedly lower rate of tumor progression, with several complete regressions, compared to animals in control groups. We also demonstrated that resistance to subsequent challenges with unmodified CT26 cells and an enhanced cellular immune response is associated with tumor regression in immunocompetent animals. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of direct in situ administration of HSV-TK retroviral vectors for the treatment of cancer and suggest that a cellular immune response may be elicited by this therapy.