Research Interests - Overview

Tumor-targeted cancer gene therapy, viral oncolysis, and mechanisms of viral transformation
Although much progress has been made toward the prevention and therapy of cancer, more Canadians die each year from cancer or cancer-related causes than from any other disease. This has prompted investigators to examine new anti-cancer agents and new approaches to optimize administration of these agents. Many of these agents can have toxic side effects when over-expressed in normal tissues. One area of research in my laboratory focuses on the development of gene therapy vectors that minimize these side effects without compromising anticancer activity. Currently we are investigating adenovirus vectors carrying modified capsid proteins and/or tissue-specific regulatory elements to target expression of cytotoxic genes specifically to the tumor. Potentially therapeutic genes under investigation in my lab include the model suicide gene, HSV-TK, and engineered microRNA genes. As an alternative to transfer of therapeutic genes to tumor cells, we are investigating the ability of replicating viruses (both adenovirus and leporipoxviruses) to specifically eliminate tumor cells in vitro and in tumor models. A third line of study involves the investigation of mechanisms of viral transformation as a model for early stages of tumorigenesis.

 
Adenovirus
(EM: R. Sherburne)