Analysis and development of the recombinant Semliki Forest virus vector as a cancer gene therapy agent

Abstract

Increased understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of cancer has shown that its accumulation is the result of multiple genetic alterations. Cancer is a disease of altered genes, with the most predominantly altered appearing in a number of dominant cellular proto-oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes. Disruption of these proteins and their associated pathways leads to deregulation of crucial pathways involved in the maintenance of cell growth and division, homeostasis and induction of programmed cell death or apoptosis.