Mission

"To build a premier virus and gene therapy program and to translate promising therapeutics from bench to bedside in a timely manner."

Harnessing Viruses to Treat Cancer

Mayo Clinic is targeting cancer on the molecular level - by changing the genetic makeup of diseased cells. Gene therapy changes the DNA of cancer cells so that they die, while virus therapy uses the destructive power of viruses to kill cancer cells. "Viruses are professional gene delivery vehicles," said Dr. Stephen Russell, leader of the Gene and Virus Therapy Program. "We're now able to harness that."

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A Landmark in Gene Therapy Trials

A most significant landmark for the Gene and Virus Therapy Program was July 12, 2004, when a patient with ovarian cancer received an intraperitoneal infusion of a recombinant measles virus that was designed, constructed, preclinically tested, and manufactured by gene therapy investigators at Mayo Clinic. This is the first time that a genetically engineered measles virus has ever been tested in human subjects.

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