Current Gene Therapy - Volume 2, Issue 4, 2002

Radioiodide uptake (RAIU) in thyroid follicular epithelial cells, mediated by a plasma membrane transporter, sodium iodide symporter (NIS), provides a first step mechanism for thyroid cancer detection by radioiodide injection and effective radioiodide treatment for patients with invasive, recurrent, and / or metastatic thyroid cancers after total thyroidectomy. NIS gene transfer to tumor cells may significantly and specifical Read More

Type 1 or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is caused by autoimmune attack and selective destruction of the pancreatic ß cells. Despite the development of various insulin replacement therapies, insulin injection still remains the mainstay treatment for type 1 diabetes. However, exogenous insulin administration cannot achieve the same degree of glycemic control as provided by endogenous insulin produced fro Read More

Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) has a number of advantages as a gene delivery vector, particularly for the nervous system. Thus, it naturally establishes asymptomatic latent infections of neuronal cells. Moreover, it is readily grown in culture to high titre and has a large genome so allowing it to be used to deliver multiple or very large genes. Considerable progress has been made in effectively disabling the virus so t Read More

Established modalities of treatment for obstructive coronary artery disease include medical therapy, bypass surgery and percutaneous coronary intervention. Similarly, conventional treatment of congestive heart failure is also limited to medical therapy, temporary assist devices and transplantation. A significant subset of patients with severe symptomatic coronary artery disease and end stage heart failure is not eligi Read More

For more than two decades, there has been a concerted effort to define the biology of, and develop the clinical applications for, cytokines that influence the immune system. However, intrinsic potency and toxicity have complicated application of cytokines as therapeutic agents when applied systemically. Indeed, one of the major characteristics of most cytokines is that they regulate immunity at a local or regional level Read More

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterised by a progressive loss of the dopaminergic neurones in the substantia nigra pars compacta.Accumulating evidence indicates that apoptosis contributes to neuronal cell death in PD patients' brain. Excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial respiratory failure are thought to be the key inducers of the apoptotic cascade. Even though the initial cause a Read More

Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors have emerged as highly promising for use in gene transfer for a variety of reasons, including lack of pathogenicity and wide host range. In addition, all virus-encoded genes have been removed from standard rAAV vectors, resulting in their comparatively low intrinsic immunogenicity. For gene replacement strategies, transgenes encoded by rAAV vectors may induce less rob Read More