Website Memorializes Life of Jesse Gelsinger - Victim of Gene Therapy Tragedy

Jesse Gelsinger finally got his own website today, years after he sacrificed his life for science. Jesse’s death brought much needed awareness to the need for safeguards in medical research involving humans when he tragically died after being treated in a gene therapy experiement. Encinitas, CA (PRWEB) February 12, 2005 — Jesse Gelsinger finally got his own website today years after he sacrificed his life for science. Jesse was 18 when he was involved in a study using gene therapy which was supposed to help find a cure for the rare disorder that blocks the body from processing nitrogen properly. Researchers had hoped to cure him by injecting him with a modified virus carrying a gene that could replace the medications and special diet that had been controlling his condition. Jesse?s death was a turning point and became critical in the implementation of changes in the way these studies are conducted when the study that he volunteered for went terribly wrong. He apparently got too large a dose of the adenovirus that delivered the gene therapy, and no specialist was on hand to respond to a sudden immune emergency that began creating complications that led to his tragic death. The Justice Department yesterday reached civil settlements with the physician-researchers who oversaw the 1999 gene therapy experiment. The government had alleged that the research team, led by University of Pennsylvania gene researcher James M. Wilson, failed in numerous ways to protect patients who volunteered for the experiment. Among the alleged lapses were numerous failures to halt the experiment when serious toxicities arose; failure to fully disclose the study’s dangers in informed-consent documents; and statements falsely suggesting that earlier patients in the study had benefited from the treatment. Fines of over $500,000 were levied against both the University of Pennsylvania and the hospital where Gelsinger was treated. After Gelsinger’s death, several changes in federal and institutional rules governing human research were enacted. The website Jesse-Gelsinger.com was created as a dedication to the memory of Jesse Gelsinger by the mother of a 20 year old boy who saw that Jesse did not have a worldwide memorial, and was touched by hearing the story of Gelsinger and by his unknowing contribution to raising awareness on issues in medical research. Contact: e-mail protected from spam bots http://www.jesse-gelsinger.com

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The American Society of Gene Therapy and NPG Announce a New Publishing Partnership

The American Society of Gene Therapy (ASGT) and Nature Publishing Group (NPG) are pleased to announce a new publishing partnership. From January 2007, NPG will publish the Society’s leading international title, Molecular Therapy (MT), and the journal will re-launch with a new look in print and online. (PRWEB) April 20, 2006 — The American Society of Gene Therapy (ASGT) and Nature Publishing Group (NPG) are pleased to announce a new publishing partnership. From January 2007, NPG will publish the Society’s leading international title, Molecular Therapy (MT), and the journal will re-launch with a new look in print and online. The journal’s focus will not change and MT will continue to publish high-quality research and review articles. David A. Williams, MD, will continue to serve as Editor-in-Chief and Robert M. Frederickson, PhD will remain as Managing Editor. “In less than a decade, Molecular Therapy has become a leading journal for reporting advancements in molecular and cellular therapy, including gene therapy. We believe the move to NPG will enhance the appearance and impact of the journal and allow continued growth in the field,” said Dr. Williams. Molecular Therapy presents important, peer-reviewed studies on key issues in gene transfer, gene and cell therapies, experimental models for correction of genetic and acquired disease and clinical trials. MT has become recognized as one of the most prestigious journals in the field. MT is ranked in three ISI categories and has an impact factor of 5.204*. ASGT named NPG as its new publisher to help best meet its goals for developing Molecular Therapy. “NPG is delighted to enter into this important partnership with the ASGT. The partnership fulfils our mission to provide the highest quality information to the global scientific community. We look forward to expanding the journal’s readership and strengthening its position as the essential reference for all professionals related to gene therapy,” said Annette Thomas, NPG’s Managing Director, about the new partnership. * Thomson-ISI, PA, USA 2005 About ASGT: The ASGT is a professional medical and scientific organization dedicated to the understanding, development and application of gene and related cell and nucleic acid therapies. Established in 1996, the society has nearly 2,000 members worldwide. Mark A. Kay, MD, PhD, is president of the ASGT. About NPG: Nature Publishing Group (NPG) is a division of Macmillan Publishers Ltd, dedicated to serving the academic, professional scientific and medical communities. NPG’;s flagship title, Nature, is the world’;s most highly-cited weekly multidisciplinary journal and was first published in 1869. Other publications and services include Nature research journals, Nature Reviews, Nature Clinical Practice, a range of prestigious academic journals, including society-owned publications, news content and scientific career information from Naturejobs. NPG is a global company, with headquarters in London and offices in New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, Boston, Tokyo, Paris, Munich, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Gurgaon, Mexico City and Basingstoke. For more information, please go to http://www.nature.com. Contact details: Joyce-Rachel John Nature Publishing Group +1 212 726 9214 75 Varick Street, 9th Floor New York, NY 10013-1917 USA Links: http://www.nature.com http://www.ASGT.org http://www.editorialmanager.com/mthe This press release is also available at http://www.nature.com/press_releases/NPG_to_publish_MT.pdf. For all NPG press releases, go to http://www.nature.com/press_releases.html.

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Research and Markets: Gene Therapy: Current Status and Prospects

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c18775) has announced the addition of Gene Therapy: Current Status and Prospects to their offering. Dublin (PRWEB) June 10, 2005 — Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c18775) has announced the addition of Gene Therapy: Current Status and Prospects to their offering. Gene therapy (GT) is an exciting therapeutic approach in which diseases are treated by replacing or correcting defective genes with normal genes. Gene correction is carried out by delivering correct gene either as naked DNA or in a viral vector. Multiple vectors, retroviruses, and other gene delivery systems have been discovered, developed, and tested in pre-clinical research and in clinical trials. Overall, gene therapy has made tremendous progress in preclinical research and development, as well as in clinical studies for disease therapeutics. Since its inception, the key issue in gene therapy is the efficient delivery of the correct gene(s) to the diseased tissue. This report provides a detailed breakdown of the applications and markets for gene therapy as well as an analysis of future growth trends. The report details the latest developments of pre-clinical and clinical status in gene therapy areas. Delivery mechanisms in gene therapy such as viral and non-viral delivery systems are described in detail. The FDA regulation of gene therapy is overviewed as well. The report contains company profiles as well as expert opinions from those active in this area. For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c18775 Laura Wood Senior Manager Research and Markets e-mail protected from spam bots Fax: +353 1 4100 980

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Gene Therapy for Mesothelioma

Gene Therapy for Mesothelioma

An exciting new treatment that has given hope to mesothelioma victims is called gene therapy. Gene therapy attempts to decipher why proteins within certain cells cause them to be resilient to cancer while some cells do not. A while back it was believed that genes were complete upon birth, and that they couldn’t affect conditions afflicted during life. This however, turned out to not be the case. Since then we have learned that smoking, sunlight and certain foods can all affect our DNA and make changes to our genetic code. These new insights provided by these conditions have allowed doctors to view many conditions like malignant mesothelioma in a new light.

There are many factors that contribute to Mesothelioma. Asbestos exposure is the primary contributing factor, but genetic mutations in individuals also worsen it. Gene therapy is a revolution in mesothelioma treatment because it replaces cancer-causing genes with genes that are medically constructed to die when exposed to cancerous growth. These ’suicide genes’ are a possible way to slow and possibly stop the rapid replication of cancerous cells. Studies are also starting to begin experimenting with replacing cancer generating genes with genes susceptible to certain drugs. This would allow the cancer to be potentially eliminated with few side effects.

Gene therapy treatment is still in its beginning stages and is not yet 100% safe. However, this desperate situation suffered by mesothelioma victims, sometimes calls for various experimental treatments. Any hope for surviving mesothelioma outweighs many of the dangers involved.

This article may be freely reprinted as long as this resource box is included and all links stay intact as hyperlinks. For more information on mesothelioma and mesothelioma litigation, please visit http://www.resource4mesothelioma.com

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Gene Therapy Breakthrough for Chemo-Radiation Resistant Esophageal Cancer

Scientists from the Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine have made a landmark discovery of the efficacy of gene transfer therapy on esophageal cancer patients- with results indicatings that this treatment method is effective in combating the chemo-radiation resistant cancer cells in patients suffering from esophageal cancer. Tokyo, Japan; Melbourne, Australia (PRWEB) March 17, 2006 — Scientists from the Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine have made a landmark discovery of the efficacy of gene transfer therapy on esophageal cancer patients. The researchers unveil their findings in a study entitled “A Phase I/II Adenoviral p53 Gene Therapy for Chemoradiation Resistant Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma”, in the latest issue of Cancer Science journal. Published by Blackwell Publishing, in partnership with the Japanese Cancer Association; the study looks at the feasibility, safety, biologic activity and therapeutic efficacy of this method of gene transfer in patients suffering from chemoradiation resistant advanced esophageal cancer. Noted Dr. Hideaki Shimada, co-author of the article and a key player in this research exercise, “This was the first clinical experience in the world to evaluate the safety and efficacy of p53 gene therapy for esophageal carcinoma”. Researchers administered four-dose levels of Ad5CMV-p53 via intra-tumoral injection on days one and three of a 28-day cycle in eligible patients- up to five cycles; and discovered that multiple administration of the course proved feasible and well tolerated in patients. The PCR analyses done further revealed that this gene transfer and p53 specific transgene expression had resulted in a reduction of esophageal cancer cells, and the activation of downstream genes. Results of this study indicates that intra-tumoral injection of Ad5CMV-p53 is effective in combating the chemo-radiation resistant cancer cells in patients suffering from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma- localising the anti-tumour effects. The study suggests further evaluation of the combination of p53 gene therapy and chemo-radiation therapy for locally advanced esophageal cancer; as a probable method of improving reaction rates in patients. This study is published in the March issue of the Cancer Science journal. Media wishing to receive a PDF, please contact e-mail protected from spam bots About Japanese Cancer Association The Japanese Cancer Association (JCA) is the oldest and the largest organization in Japan focused on every aspect of high-quality, innovative cancer research. JCA was founded in 1941 and has 16,000 members all from the universities, hospitals, governmental and private research organizations throughout Japan. JCA publishes Cancer Science and hold an annual meeting, conference, and symposiums. For more information, please visit www.jca.gr.jp About Blackwell Publishing Blackwell Publishing is the world’s leading society publisher, partnering with 665 academic and professional societies. Blackwell publishes over 800 journals and, to date has published close to 6,000 books, across a wide range of academic, medical, and professional subjects. The company remains independent with 950 staff members in offices in the US, UK, Australia, China, Denmark, Singapore, Germany, and Japan. Blackwell’s mission as an expert publisher is to create long-term partnerships with clients to enhance learning, disseminate research, and improve the quality of professional practice. For more information on Blackwell Publishing, please visit www.blackwellpublishing.com or www.blackwell-synergy.com.

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