RRV(GALV)-TK

RRV(GALV)-TK is a gene therapy candidate consisting of a retroviral replicating vector (RRV) derived from the murine leukemia virus (MLV), pseudotyped with the Gibbon Ape Leukemia Virus (GALV) envelope protein, and engineered to carry the Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) suicide gene. The GALV envelope allows for specific and efficient entry into human cells via the PiT-1 (SLC20A1) receptor, which is often overexpressed in various cancers, including glioblastoma. Once the vector infects dividing cancer cells, it integrates into the genome and expresses HSV-tk. When the prodrug ganciclovir (GCV) or valganciclovir is subsequently administered, HSV-tk converts it into a cytotoxic triphosphate form that inhibits DNA synthesis and induces apoptosis in the infected cells and neighboring cells through a bystander effect. This approach aims to provide targeted, localized chemotherapy while sparing healthy non-dividing tissue.

Other names

Retroviral replicating vector (GALV)-TKGALV-pseudotyped RRV-TK