Gene therapy with herpes simplex virus vectors.
Gene delivery to the nervous system represents perhaps the ultimate challenge of gene therapy in view of the complexity of this system, the wide variety of intractable neurological diseases and the need to deliver the gene to non-dividing cells. Although a variety of systems for such gene delivery are under development, herpes simplex virus has unique advantages in terms of its large genome size and its ability to enter a latent state in neuronal cells. Considerable progress has been made in the effective disablement of this virus whilst retaining its ability to deliver genes and in producing long term expression of the foreign gene. Although much remains to be achieved in the further disablement of the virus and its testing in rodent and primate models of human diseases, it is likely that these viruses may ultimately be of use in human gene therapy procedures for otherwise intractable neurological diseases.
Latchman
D S
DS
Department of Molecular Pathology, Windeyer Institute of Medical Sciences, University College London, UK.
D000818:Animals; D015870:Gene Expression; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D016679:Genome, Viral; D006801:Humans; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000235:genetics*