Effect of Electrically Mediated Intratumor and Intramuscular Delivery of a Plasmid Encoding IFN α on Visible B16 Mouse Melanomas

Interferon a may be used as a single agent therapy for metastatic malignant melanoma or as an adjuvant to chemotherapy. Delivery of interferon a by gene therapy offers an alternative to recombinant protein therapy. Electrically mediated delivery enhances plasmid expression in a number of tissues, for instance skin, liver, muscle and tumors including melanomas. Here we compare the effect of delivery of a plasmid encoding mouse interferon a on growth of visible B16 mouse melanomas following electrically mediated delivery to muscle or directly to the tumor. Intratumoral delivery of interferon a plasmid not only slows melanoma growth, but induces complete, long term, regression. This effect was not observed after intramuscular delivery.