U1035 INSERM

During the previous contract, a new scientist, S. Dabernat joined the biotherapy team, with a strong background on cancer biology and pancreas physiology, and important local and national connections within the pancreatic cancer field. We took the opportunity of her scientific knowledge coupled with the expertise of the vectorology platform created by our team, to extend the gene therapy expertise of the group to cancer. As all the progresses made for cancer treatment especially targeted therapies, during the past decade failed for pancreatic adenocarcinoma, which is a rare cancer, we reasoned that gene therapy was a valuable and innovating approach to develop new treatments. We created an oncotropic lentivirus armed with a pro-drug activated suicide gene to limit tumour progression. In vivo targeting of pancreatic cancer cells has been validated in orthotopic xenograft models, monitored by bioimaging. The intra-tumoral injection of the MUC4 oncotropic virus containing suicide gene appeared to be a very specific way to reduce the size of the tumours.