title: Vaginal gene therapy.
abstract: In the last years, vaginal gene therapy has gained increasing attention mainly for the treatment and control of sexually transmitted infections. DNA delivery has been also suggested to improve reproductive outcomes for women with deficiencies in the female reproductive tract. Although no product has reached clinical phase, preclinical investigations reveal the potential of the vaginal tract as an effective administration route for gene delivery. This review focuses on the main advantages and challenges of vaginal gene therapy, and on the most used nucleic acid delivery systems, including viral and non-viral vectors. Additionally, the advances in the application of vaginal gene therapy for the treatment and/or prevention of infectious diseases such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the human papillomavirus (HPV) or the herpes simplex virus (HSV) are presented.
authors.affiliation: Pharmacokinetic, Nanotechnology and Gene Therapy Group (PharmaNanoGene), Faculty of Pharmacy, Centro de investigación Lascaray ikergunea, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo de la Universidad, 7, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. Electronic address: alicia.rodriguez@ehu.es.
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Gascón
authors.affiliation: Pharmacokinetic, Nanotechnology and Gene Therapy Group (PharmaNanoGene), Faculty of Pharmacy, Centro de investigación Lascaray ikergunea, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo de la Universidad, 7, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Pozo-Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Pharmacokinetic, Nanotechnology and Gene Therapy Group (PharmaNanoGene), Faculty of Pharmacy, Centro de investigación Lascaray ikergunea, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo de la Universidad, 7, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
authors.forename: Arantxazu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Isla
authors.affiliation: Pharmacokinetic, Nanotechnology and Gene Therapy Group (PharmaNanoGene), Faculty of Pharmacy, Centro de investigación Lascaray ikergunea, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo de la Universidad, 7, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
authors.forename: María Angeles
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Solinís
mesh_terms: D000282:Administration, Intravaginal; D002181:Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000628:therapy; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000628:therapy; D015229:Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral / Q000628:therapy*; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014621:Vagina / Q000502:physiology; D066228:Vaginal Absorption
chemical_list: D019444:Vaccines, DNA
keywords: Gene therapy; Non-viral vectors; Sexually transmitted infections; Vaginal delivery; Viral vectors