Apotheker actief bij gentherapie

Gene therapy involves introduction of DNA or RNA into cells of a cancer patient. The aim of gene therapy is genetic modification of tumour cells resulting in either better recognition of tumour cells by immunocompetent cells, or rendering tumour cells more susceptible to chemotherapy, or modification of expression of certain genes, such as oncogenes. Since the number of gene therapy trials in cancer patients is increasing, the pharmacist will increasingly be involved in the formulation of these new 'drugs'. After summarizing different approaches for gene therapy of cancer patients, the role of the pharmacist is illustrated by describing a clinical gene therapy trial in melanoma patients.