Adenovirus-mediated retinoblastoma 94 gene transfer induces human pancreatic tumor regression in a mouse xenograft model.

Purpose: Gene transfer of a truncated variant of the retinoblastoma (RB) gene encoding a M(r) 94000 protein that lacks the NH(2)-terminal 112 amino acid residues, termed RB94, has been shown to inhibit proliferation of several human tumor cell types. We have assessed its therapeutic effectiveness on pancreatic cancer, one of the most aggressive and therapy-resistant types of cancer. For this purpose, preclinical studies aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of RB94 gene transfer in pancreatic cancer were carried out.