title: [Non invasive gene therapy in neurological diseases].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Brain gene therapy consists of introducing nucleic acids into nerve tissue whose expression may prove to be therapeutically useful. This genetic material is indirectly introduced by means of non invasive gene therapy into the blood thereby avoiding its direct injection into the brain and the damage to the blood brain barrier.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The different non invasive vectors and means of gene transfer to the central nervous system will be discussed.
  
  
  METHODS
  There has been a remarkable breakthrough in recent years in non invasive gene transfer strategies into the central nervous system. The development of new serotypes of adenoassociated vectors, such as AAV9, and of functionalized nanoparticles, such as pegylated immunoliposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, pegylated nanoparticles, dendrimers, fullerens, as well as specific transporters specific to the low density lipoprotein receptor family, means that it is now possible to introduce and express gene material in nerve tissue following peripherical administration of the above mentioned vectors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Non invasive gene therapy entails exciting new perspectives for the treatment of the numerous neurological diseases for which there are no effective pharmacological treatments. Studies already performed on animals have proved to be highly promising and it is likely that, in the next few years, they will give rise to non invasive gene therapy procedures which will be useful and safe for treating patients.
authors.affiliation: Universidad de La Laguna, 38205 La Laguna, Espana.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Brito-Armas
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Castro-Hernandez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Diaz
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Castro-Fuentes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy*