Gendicine

Gendicine is a gene therapy drug that was approved by the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) in 2003. It is the first gene therapy drug to be approved for clinical use. Gendicine is used to treat head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

History

Gendicine was developed by Shenzhen SiBiono GeneTech, a Chinese biotech company. The development of Gendicine was based on the research of p53, a tumor suppressor gene. Mutations in the p53 gene are associated with a variety of human cancers.

Mechanism of Action

Gendicine works by introducing a normal p53 gene into cancer cells. The normal p53 gene is delivered to the cancer cells using an adenovirus vector. Once inside the cancer cells, the normal p53 gene can trigger apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in the cancer cells.

Clinical Use

Gendicine is used in combination with radiotherapy for the treatment of HNSCC. Clinical trials have shown that Gendicine can improve the effectiveness of radiotherapy in treating HNSCC.

Side Effects

The most common side effects of Gendicine are fever, fatigue, and nausea. These side effects are usually mild and temporary.

See Also

• Gene therapy
• Cancer treatment
• Head and neck cancer