title: Current gene therapy using viral vectors for chronic pain.
abstract: The complexity of chronic pain and the challenges of pharmacotherapy highlight the importance of development of new approaches to pain management. Gene therapy approaches may be complementary to pharmacotherapy for several advantages. Gene therapy strategies may target specific chronic pain mechanisms in a tissue-specific manner. The present collection of articles features distinct gene therapy approaches targeting specific mechanisms identified as important in the specific pain conditions. Dr. Fairbanks group describes commonly used gene therapeutics (herpes simplex viral vector (HSV) and adeno-associated viral vector (AAV)), and addresses biodistribution and potential neurotoxicity in pre-clinical models of vector delivery. Dr. Tao group addresses that downregulation of a voltage-gated potassium channel (Kv1.2) contributes to the maintenance of neuropathic pain. Alleviation of chronic pain through restoring Kv1.2 expression in sensory neurons is presented in this review. Drs Goins and Kinchington group describes a strategy to use the replication defective HSV vector to deliver two different gene products (enkephalin and TNF soluble receptor) for the treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia. Dr. Hao group addresses the observation that the pro-inflammatory cytokines are an important shared mechanism underlying both neuropathic pain and the development of opioid analgesic tolerance and withdrawal. The use of gene therapy strategies to enhance expression of the anti-pro-inflammatory cytokines is summarized. Development of multiple gene therapy strategies may have the benefit of targeting specific pathologies associated with distinct chronic pain conditions (by Guest Editors, Drs. C. Fairbanks and S. Hao).
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program in Molecular Virology and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA. jmguedon@gmail.com.|Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Room 1020 EEI, 203 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA. jmguedon@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jean-Marc G
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Guedon
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, 185 S. Orange Ave., MSB, F-548, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA. sw655@njms.rutgers.edu.
authors.forename: Shaogen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA. zhengxx2513@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Xuexing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. cece@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Caroline C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Churchill
authors.affiliation: Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 424 Bridgeside Point II, 450 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA. glorioso@pitt.edu.
authors.forename: Joseph C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Glorioso
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA. hang.super@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ching-Hang
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA. sliu2@med.miami.edu.
authors.forename: Shue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. vulch001@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vulchanova
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, 185 S. Orange Ave., MSB, F-548, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA. bekkeray@njms.rutgers.edu.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bekker
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, 185 S. Orange Ave., MSB, F-548, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA. yt211@njms.rutgers.edu.|Department of Cell Biology & Molecular Medicine, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA. yt211@njms.rutgers.edu.|Department of Neurology & Neuroscience, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA. yt211@njms.rutgers.edu.|Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA. yt211@njms.rutgers.edu.
authors.forename: Yuan-Xiang
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program in Molecular Virology and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA. kinchingtonp@upmc.edu.|Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Room 1020 EEI, 203 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA. kinchingtonp@upmc.edu.
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Kinchington
authors.affiliation: Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 424 Bridgeside Point II, 450 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA. goins@pitt.edu.
authors.forename: William F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Goins
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. carfair@umn.edu.|Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. carfair@umn.edu.|Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, 9-177 Weaver Densford Hall, 308 Harvard Street, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA. carfair@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Carolyn A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Fairbanks
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA. shao@med.miami.edu.
authors.forename: Shuanglin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hao
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy*; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated