Overexpression of the tumor suppressor protein p53 with an adenoviral vector carrying the p53 gene (Ad-p53) has been used successfully in other reports as an anticancer therapeutic in vitro and following intratumoral injection in vivo. Further, this therapeutic strategy has been combined with radiation in animal tumor models, with resultant enhanced radiosensitivity observed. We were interested in examining the impact of Ad-p53 on the radiocurability of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Several techniques were used in this thesis to examine the in vivo transduction efficiency achieved following intratumoral injection of an adenoviral vector carrying the lacZ gene (Ad-β-gal). NPC tumor cross-sections and tumor whole mounts were stained with the β-gal substrate X-Gal, and some tumors were stained with the fluorescent β-gal substrate FDG. The results and limitations determined for each technique will be discussed. As well, data from therapeutic experiments combining Ad-p53 and ionizing radiation in NPC xenografts will be presented.
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