Logic‐Gated HSV‐TK/GCV Suicide Gene Circuit for Triple‐Negative Breast Cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains a major clinical challenge, owing to its molecular complexity, therapeutic resistance, and lack of specific druggable targets. The herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase/ganciclovir (HSV-TK/GCV) suicide gene therapy system has shown promise in cancer treatment, but its clinical applicability is limited by off-target cytotoxicity. Here, we developed a breast cancer-specific suicide gene circuit (BRAS) that integrates the screened cancer-specific promoters RRM2 and MAFK with a microRNA specific to nontumor cells, utilizing the distinct molecular profiles of tumor and nontumor cells. This multi-input logic gate circuit enables precise, specific expression of HSV-TK in breast cancer cells with hardly expression in normal cell. We show that BRAS selectively induces apoptosis in patient-derived TNBC cells while sparing normal cells. In two orthotopic breast cancer models, BRAS significantly suppressed tumor growth without affecting body weight or general health, underscoring its therapeutic potential. This approach intelligently combines molecular signals from both cancerous and healthy cells to precisely regulate therapeutic gene expression, making it a promising platform for the next-generation cancer therapy.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Science
Published
2026-02-04
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202514749
Primary Topic
Virus-based gene therapy research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Logic‐Gated HSV‐TK/GCV Suicide Gene Circuit for Triple‐Negative Breast Cancer

Longliang Qiao, Ruijia Zheng, Xin Wu, Fengfeng Cai et al.
Advanced Science
Virus-based gene therapy research
article

Logic‐Gated HSV‐TK/GCV Suicide Gene Circuit for Triple‐Negative Breast Cancer

Longliang Qiao, Ruijia Zheng, Xin Wu, Fengfeng Cai, Liyun Yong, Dongyang Liu, Shasha Tang, Meiyan Wang, Yuan Fang, Lingli Jin, Yicheng Liu
article en

Abstract

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains a major clinical challenge, owing to its molecular complexity, therapeutic resistance, and lack of specific druggable targets. The herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase/ganciclovir (HSV-TK/GCV) suicide gene therapy system has shown promise in cancer treatment, but its clinical applicability is limited by off-target cytotoxicity. Here, we developed a breast cancer-specific suicide gene circuit (BRAS) that integrates the screened cancer-specific promoters RRM2 and MAFK with a microRNA specific to nontumor cells, utilizing the distinct molecular profiles of tumor and nontumor cells. This multi-input logic gate circuit enables precise, specific expression of HSV-TK in breast cancer cells with hardly expression in normal cell. We show that BRAS selectively induces apoptosis in patient-derived TNBC cells while sparing normal cells. In two orthotopic breast cancer models, BRAS significantly suppressed tumor growth without affecting body weight or general health, underscoring its therapeutic potential. This approach intelligently combines molecular signals from both cancerous and healthy cells to precisely regulate therapeutic gene expression, making it a promising platform for the next-generation cancer therapy.

Advanced Science
Tongji University (CN), Chongqing Normal University (CN), Shanxi Medical University (CN), Shanghai Changzheng Hospital (CN), Tongji Hospital (CN), East China Normal University (CN)
Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai, National Natural Science Foundation of China, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Tongji University, Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment, Natural Science Foundation for Young Scientists of Shanxi Province, Young Scientists Fund
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 63%
Virus-based gene therapy research
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