Gene transfer and vascular disease

Gene therapy involves the transfer of genetic material to cells in order to correct the malfunction of specific gene. For gene therapy to be feasible, a safe and efficient means of introducing genes into cells in a living individual is required. In vivo gene transfer is feasible using viral and non-viral vectors. gene transfer to the cardiovascular system, adenoviral vectors are the most efficient. However, the use currently available adenoviral vectors is limited due to the transient nature of transgene expression, ytotoxicity and the development of an immune response to virally transduced cells. Gene transfer many vascular beds has been demonstrated in vivo and biological effects have been observed. In article, these studies will be reviewed and the potential use of gene therapy for a variety of vascular disorders will be discussed. Although the feasibility of this approach has been demonstrated in animal models, currently available vectors hove a number of technical and safety limitations. Therefore, many technical hurdles in relation to vector development must be overcome before gene therapy for vascular disease has widespread clinical application.