Lentiviral-Encoded Sodium Iodide Symporter-Mediated Cancer Gene Therapy

Gene therapy aims to transfer ectopic genetic materials into cells for the purposes of correction of a defective gene of the disease or induction of cancer cell death. Sodium iodide symporter (NIS), an iodide transporter expressed on the membrane of thyroid follicular cells, has been utilized in cancer gene imaging and therapy for more than a decade. Coordinated with rapid development of nuclear medicine imaging, the therapeutic process as well as outcome can be precisely monitored. The success of NIS-mediated cancer gene therapy highly relies on the efficient gene delivery and specific cancer targeting. In this chapter, the delivery system of viral vectors is reviewed with emphasis on lentivirus. Moreover, strategies for cancer-specific targeting therapy using various promoters are also discussed.