title: Primary T lymphocytes as targets for gene therapy.
abstract: Peripheral blood T lymphocytes have been considered an attractive target for gene therapy applications. They can be easily harvested and readily expanded ex vivo. The transduction efficiency of primary human lymphocytes with standard retroviral vectors approaches 50% or more using optimized methods of gene transfer. Other methods of gene transfer, including adenoviral, adeno-associated viral, and lentiviral vectors, or nonviral techniques, have also been used for gene transfer into primary lymphocytes. Despite encouraging results in vitro, human clinical trials using retroviral vectors to transduce primary lymphocytes have been hindered by low expression levels of transgenes and immune responses against transgene products. Strategies to overcome these problems need to be developed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Genetic Therapeutics, Center for Molecular Medicine, Jichi Medical School, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hanazono
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Dunbar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000229:Dependovirus; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D016086:Lentivirus; D017710:Lymphocyte Transfusion; D012190:Retroviridae; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting