title: [Skin, a privileged target for gene therapy].
abstract: Keratinocytes, fibroblasts and tumour cells of skin cancers can be the target of two different strategies based on gene therapy: direct in vivo gene transfer or in vitro transfer after harvesting skin cells. For in vivo transfer, the problem is to develop techniques which limit effective gene transfer to skin cells without dissemination. For in vitro transfer, the keratinocytes, for example, are isolated and cultured to produce an epithelium comparable to the body surface which is then grafted as has been done for burns for more than a decade. Fibroblasts can also be biopsied and cultured. Transfer systems include use of viral vectors including retroviruses and adenoviruses and inert physicochemical methods currently under development. Theoretically, gene therapy could be used for genodermatoses, expression of local or systemic therapeutic factors and gene-transduced tumour cells for skin cancer. The most rapid developments for gene therapy for the skin will probably be the use of keratinocytes and fibroblasts for the production of local or systemic proteins with a therapeutic effect.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Descamps
mesh_terms: D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000502:physiology; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000502:physiology; D008545:Melanoma / Q000628:therapy*; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000628:therapy*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*
vernacular_title: La peau, cible privilégiée pour la thérapie génique.