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A targeted viewing

Nature Reviews Genetics volume 7, page 412 (2006)Cite this article

The killing part is easy; the real challenge — when it comes to dealing with cancer cells — is to find the cells to be removed, or indeed treated, and to be able to see how well you are doing. Researchers now have the tool for this purpose; a hybrid virus that combines the efficiency of adeno-associated virus (AAV) and the adaptability of a bacteriophage that can target specific cancer cells and deliver to them imaging or anti-cancer agents.

Eukaryotic viruses enter cells efficiently and specifically. This specificity is also a drawback, as their strong preference for particular molecules limits their versatility. Bacterial viruses, on the other hand, are not very accomplished at entering mammalian cells — but they are indifferent to cell type, which allows them to be engineered to target eukaryotic cell-surface markers. Renata Pasqualini, Wadih Arap and colleagues put two and two together and built a hybrid virus that delivers DNA as efficiently as a mammalian virus but, like a phage virus, can be targeted to a desired protein. The aim was to create a unique tool that would combine tumour targeting and molecular-genetic imaging.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Hajitou, A. et al. A hybrid vector for ligand-directed tumor targeting and molecular imaging. Cell 125, 385–398 (2006)

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Authors
  1. Tanita Casci
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Casci, T. A targeted viewing. Nat Rev Genet 7, 412 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg1883

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg1883

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