AN UPDATE REVIEW ON GENE THERAPY AND IT’S APPLICATIONS
D. Varshith *, D. Sunil and Dr. B. Venkateshwara Reddy
ABSTRACT
Gene therapy can be broadly defined as the transfer of genetic material to cure a disease or at least to improve the clinical status of a patient. One of the basic concepts of gene therapy is to transform viruses into genetic shuttles, which will deliver the gene of interest into the target cells. Based on the nature of the viral genome, these gene therapy vectors can be divided into RNA and DNA viral vectors. The majority of RNA virus-based vectors have been derived from simple retroviruses like murine leukaemia virus. A major shortcoming of these vectors is that they are not able to transducer nondividing cells. This problem may be overcome by the use of novel retroviral vectors derived from lentiviruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV). The most commonly used DNA virus vectors are based on adenoviruses and adeno-associated viruses. An example of gene-knockout mediated gene therapy is the knockout of the human CCR5 gene in T-cells in order to control HIV infection Although the available vector systems are able to deliver genes in vivo into cells, the ideal delivery vehicle has not been found. Thus, the present viral vectors should be used only with great caution in human beings and further progress in vector development is necessary. Though non-viral gene delivery methods are limited by low gene transfer efficiency, they benefit from relative safety, low immunogenicity, ease of manufacture, and lack of DNA insert size limitation. In contrast, viral vectors are nature‟s gene delivery machines that can be optimized to allow for tissue-specific targeting, site-specific chromosomal integration, and efficient long-term infection of dividing and non-dividing cells. In contrast to traditional replacement gene therapy, craniofacial regeneration seeks to use genetic vectors as supplemental building blocks for tissue growth and repair. Synergistic combination of viral gene therapy with craniofacial tissue engineering will significantly enhance our ability to repair and replace tissues in vivo.
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