Gene therapy for restenosis: are we ready?
The application of gene therapy techniques to the clinical problem of coronary restenosis has generated tremendous attention and enthusiasm. Use of gene transfer technology to prevent a common intractable illness would represent a watershed event for human gene therapy. However, the time is not yet right to initiate gene therapy trials for restenosis. The biology of restenosis is incompletely understood, catheter-based gene delivery is poorly adapted to the coronary circulation, and current gene transfer vectors are ill-suited for safe and effective gene delivery to the coronary artery wall. Basic research designed to overcome these obstacles is currently more appropriate than the initiation of clinical trials.
DeYoung
M B
MB
Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease and Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco 94141-9100, USA.
Dichek
D A
DA
D000818:Animals; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D012008:Recurrence