BikDD

BikDD is a constitutively active, phosphorylation-mimicking mutant of the Bcl-2-interacting killer (BIK) protein, a member of the BH3-only subfamily of pro-apoptotic proteins. In its natural form, BIK activity is regulated by phosphorylation at threonine-33 and serine-35; BikDD replaces these residues with aspartic acid (T33D/S35D) to simulate a permanent active state. As a gene therapy, BikDD is typically delivered as a DNA plasmid encapsulated within liposomal nanoparticles, frequently utilizing the VP16-GAL4-WPRE integrated systemic amplifier (VISA) platform. This platform enables high-level, cancer-specific expression when driven by tumor-selective promoters such as survivin, hTERT, CCKAR, or alpha-fetoprotein. Once expressed, the BikDD protein induces apoptosis by binding to and neutralizing anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members, specifically Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Mcl-1. Developed primarily at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, it has been investigated for the treatment of various solid tumors including pancreatic, breast, lung, and hepatocellular cancers.

Other names

Bik(T33D/S35D)BikDD genemutant BIK geneBikDD nanoparticleLiposomal BikDD