Gene therapy for autoimmune diseases: quo vadis?
Biological therapies using antibodies and cytokines are becoming widespread for the treatment of chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases. However, these treatments have several limitations - such as expense, the need for repeated injections and unwanted side-effects - that can be overcome by genetic delivery. This review summarizes the ingenuity, sophistication and variety of gene-therapy approaches that have been taken in the design of therapeutic molecules and vectors, the engineering of cells and the regulation of gene expression for the targeting of disease outcome. We focus our attention on multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.
Bone and Joint Research Unit, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of London, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, UK. y.chernajovsky@qmul.ac.uk
Yuti
Y
Chernajovsky
David J
DJ
Gould
Osvaldo L
OL
Podhajcer
D000818:Animals; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000628:therapy; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000628:therapy; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000628:therapy