Life Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of Toxicity Following Electrically Mediated Interleukin-12 Gene Delivery In A B16 Mouse Melanoma Model, Loree Heller, Kathleen Merkler, Jeffrey Westover, Yolmari Cruz, Domenico Coppola, Kaaron Benson, Adil Daud, Richard Heller

Bioelectrics Publications

PURPOSE: Interleukin-12 (IL-12) has potential as an immunotherapeutic agent for the treatment of cancer but is unfortunately associated with toxicity. Delivery of a plasmid encoding IL-12 with electroporation induces an antitumor effect in the B16 mouse melanoma model without serious side effects. To translate this observation to the clinic, an evaluation of toxicity was done in the mouse model.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Weight change, tumor response, blood chemistry and hematology values, and serum IL-12 levels were evaluated. Multiple tissues were analyzed histopathologically.

RESULTS: A pronounced reduction in tumor volume, including a large percentage of complete regressions, was observed after electrically mediated …

Effect Of Electrically Mediated Intratumor And Intramuscular Delivery Of A Plasmid Encoding Ifn Α On Visible B16 Mouse Melanomas, Loree C. Heller, Stephanie F. Ingram, M. Lee Lucas, Richard A. Gilbert, Richard Heller

Bioelectrics Publications

Interferon α may be used as a single agent therapy for metastatic malignant melanoma or as an adjuvant to chemotherapy. Delivery of interferon α by gene therapy offers an alternative to recombinant protein therapy. Electrically mediated delivery enhances plasmid expression in a number of tissues, for instance skin, liver, muscle and tumors including melanomas. Here we compare the effect of delivery of a plasmid encoding mouse interferon α on growth of visible B16 mouse melanomas following electrically mediated delivery to muscle or directly to the tumor. Intratumoral delivery of interferon α plasmid not only slows melanoma growth, but induces complete, …

Transcriptional Regulation Of The Bmp2 Gene: Retinoic Acid Induction In F9 Embryonal Carcinoma Cells And Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Loree C. Heller, Yong Li, Kevin L. Abrams, Melissa B. Rogers

Bioelectrics Publications

Bmp2, a highly conserved member of the transforming growth factor-beta gene family, is crucial for normal development. Retinoic acid, combined with cAMP analogs, sharply induces the Bmp2 mRNA during the differentiation of F9 embryonal carcinoma cells into parietal endoderm. Retinoic acid (RA) also induces the Bmp2 gene in chick limb buds. Since normal Bmp2 expression may require an endogenous retinoid signal and aberrant Bmp2 expression may cause some aspects of RA-induced teratogenesis, we studied the mechanism underlying the induction of Bmp2. Measurements of the Bmp2 mRNA half-life and nuclear run-on assays …