scholarly journals The Use of Viral Vectors in Gene Transfer Therapy

Author(s):  
A. Dziaková ◽  
A. Valenčáková ◽  
E. Hatalová ◽  
J. Kalinová

Gene therapy is strategy based on using genes as pharmaceuticals. Gene therapy is a treatment that involves altering the genes inside body's cells to stop disease. Genes contain DNA- the code controlling body form and function. Genes that do not work properly can cause disease. Gene therapy replaces a faulty gene or adds a new gene in an attempt to cure disease or improve the ability of the body to fight disease. Gene therapy holds promise for treating a wide range of diseases, including cancer, cystic fibrosis, heart disease, diabetes, hemophilia and AIDS. Various types of genetic material are used in gene therapy; double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), plasmid DNA and antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ASON). The success of gene therapy depends on assuring the entrance of the therapeutic gene to targeted cells without any form of biodegradation. Commonly used vectors in gene therapy are: adenoviruses (400 clinical studies; 23.8%), retroviruses (344 clinical studies; 20.5%), unenveloped/plasmid DNA (304 clinical studies, 17.7%), adenoassociated viruses (75 clinical studies; 4.5%) and others. In this paper, we have reviewed the major gene delivery vectors and recent improvements made in their design meant to overcome the issues that commonly arise with the use of gene therapy vectors.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7545
Author(s):  
Myriam Sainz-Ramos ◽  
Idoia Gallego ◽  
Ilia Villate-Beitia ◽  
Jon Zarate ◽  
Iván Maldonado ◽  
...  

Efficient delivery of genetic material into cells is a critical process to translate gene therapy into clinical practice. In this sense, the increased knowledge acquired during past years in the molecular biology and nanotechnology fields has contributed to the development of different kinds of non-viral vector systems as a promising alternative to virus-based gene delivery counterparts. Consequently, the development of non-viral vectors has gained attention, and nowadays, gene delivery mediated by these systems is considered as the cornerstone of modern gene therapy due to relevant advantages such as low toxicity, poor immunogenicity and high packing capacity. However, despite these relevant advantages, non-viral vectors have been poorly translated into clinical success. This review addresses some critical issues that need to be considered for clinical practice application of non-viral vectors in mainstream medicine, such as efficiency, biocompatibility, long-lasting effect, route of administration, design of experimental condition or commercialization process. In addition, potential strategies for overcoming main hurdles are also addressed. Overall, this review aims to raise awareness among the scientific community and help researchers gain knowledge in the design of safe and efficient non-viral gene delivery systems for clinical applications to progress in the gene therapy field.


2009 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 846-854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnold Melman ◽  
Kelvin P. Davies

In the past, many researchers considered viral vectors to be the most promising candidates to transfer genetic material into the corpora for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. However, at present, no viral vectors have progressed to human trials. In contrast, the use of naked gene therapy, a plasmid expressing the human Maxi-K potassium channel, is the only gene therapy treatment to be evaluated in clinical phase I trials to date. The success of these studies, proving the safety of this treatment, has paved the way for the development of future gene transfer techniques based on similar transfer methods, as well as novel treatment vectors, such as stem cell transfer.


2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 703-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jochen Urthaler ◽  
Wolfgang Buchinger ◽  
Roman Necina

Gene therapy and genetic vaccines promise to revolutionize the treatment of inherited and acquired diseases. Since viral vectors are generally associated with numerous disadvantages when applied to humans, the administration of naked DNA, or DNA packed into lipo- or polyplexes emerge as viable alternatives. To satisfy the increasing demand for pharmaceutical grade plasmids we developed a novel economic downstream process which overcomes the bottlenecks of common lab-scale techniques and meets all regulatory requirements. After cell lysis by an in-house developed gentle, automated continuous system the sequence of hydrophobic interaction, anion exchange and size exclusion chromatography guarantees the separation of impurities as well as undesired plasmid isoforms. After the consecutive chromatography steps, adjustment of concentration and final filtration are carried out. The final process was proven to be generally applicable and can be used from early clinical phases to market-supply. It is scaleable and free of animal-derived substances, detergents (except lysis) and organic solvents. The process delivers high-purity plasmid DNA of homogeneities up to 98% supercoiled form at a high yield in any desired final buffer.


1970 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-27
Author(s):  
Md Manjurul Karim

The concept of gene therapy involves the transfer of genetic material into a cell, tissue, or whole organ, with a view to curing a disease or at least improving the clinical status of a patient. Much of its success relies heavily on the development of an effective delivery system that is capable of efficient gene transfer in a variety of tissues, without causing any associated pathogenic effects. Viral vectors currently offer the best choice for efficient gene delivery, what has been discussed in this review article. Their performance and pathogenecity has been evaluated in animal models, and encouraging results form the basis for clinical trials to treat genetic disorders and acquired diseases. Despite some initial success in these trials, vector development remains a seminal concern for improved gene therapy technologies. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/akmmcj.v3i1.10110 AKMMCJ 2012; 3(1): 24-27


2005 ◽  
Vol 110 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Scott Ralph ◽  
Katie Binley ◽  
Liang-Fong Wong ◽  
Mimoun Azzouz ◽  
Nicholas D. Mazarakis

Gene therapy holds great promise for the treatment of a wide range of inherited and acquired disorders. The development of viral vector systems to mediate safe and long-lasting expression of therapeutic transgenes in specific target cell populations is continually advancing. Gene therapy for the nervous system is particularly challenging due to the post-mitotic nature of neuronal cells and the restricted accessibility of the brain itself. Viral vectors based on lentiviruses provide particularly attractive vehicles for delivery of therapeutic genes to treat neurological and ocular diseases, since they efficiently transduce non-dividing cells and mediate sustained transgene expression. Furthermore, novel routes of vector delivery to the nervous system have recently been elucidated and these have increased further the scope of lentiviruses for gene therapy application. Several studies have demonstrated convincing therapeutic efficacy of lentiviral-based gene therapies in animal models of severe neurological disorders and the push for progressing such vectors to the clinic is ongoing. This review describes the key features of lentiviral vectors that make them such useful tools for gene therapy to the nervous system and outlines the major breakthroughs in the potential use of such vectors for treating neurodegenerative and ocular diseases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-56
Author(s):  
Hogir Saadi

Gene therapy can be described broadly as the transfer of genetic material to control a disease or at least to enhance a patient's clinical status. The transformation of viruses into genetic shuttles is one of the core principles of gene therapy, which will introduce the gene of interest into the target tissue and cells. To do this, safe strategies have been invented, using many viral and non-viral vector delivery. Two major methods have emerged: modification in vivo and modification ex vivo. For gene therapeutic approaches which are focused on lifelong expression of the therapeutic gene, retrovirus, adenovirus, adeno-associated viruses are acceptable. Non-viral vectors are much less successful than viral vectors, but because of their low immune responses and their broad therapeutic DNA ability, they have advantages. The addition of viral functions such as receptor-mediated uptake and nuclear translocation of DNA may eventually lead to the development of an artificial virus in order to improve the role of non-viral vectors. For human use in genetic conditions, cancers and acquired illnesses, gene transfer techniques have been allowed. The ideal delivery vehicle has not been identified, although the accessible vector systems are capable of transporting genes in vivo into cells. Therefore, only with great caution can the present viral vectors be used in human beings and further progress in the production of vectors is required. Current progresses in our understanding of gene therapy approaches and their delivery technology, as well as the victors used to deliver therapeutic genes, are the primary goals of this review. For that reason, a literature search on PubMed and Google Scholar was carried out using different keywords.


Author(s):  
Sanna Koponen ◽  
Emmi Kokki ◽  
Kati Kinnunen ◽  
Seppo Ylä-Herttuala

Pathological vessel growth harms vision and may finally lead to vision loss. Anti-angiogenic gene therapy with viral vectors for ocular neovascularization has shown great promise in pre-clinical studies. Most of the studies has conducted with different adeno-associate serotype vectors. In addition, Adeno and lentivirus vectors have been used. Therapy has targeted to block vascular endothelial growth factors or other pro-angiogenic factors. Clinical trials of intraocular gene therapy for neovascularization have shown the treatment to be safe without severe adverse events or systemic effects. Nevertheless, clinical studies have not proceeded phase 2 trials further.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (16) ◽  
pp. 8537
Author(s):  
Sofía Mirón-Barroso ◽  
Elena B. Domènech ◽  
Sonia Trigueros

Nanomaterials are currently being developed for the specific cell/tissue/organ delivery of genetic material. Nanomaterials are considered as non-viral vectors for gene therapy use. However, there are several requirements for developing a device small enough to become an efficient gene-delivery tool. Considering that the non-viral vectors tested so far show very low efficiency of gene delivery, there is a need to develop nanotechnology-based strategies to overcome current barriers in gene delivery. Selected nanostructures can incorporate several genetic materials, such as plasmid DNA, mRNA, and siRNA. In the field of nanotechnologies, there are still some limitations yet to be resolved for their use as gene delivery systems, such as potential toxicity and low transfection efficiency. Undeniably, novel properties at the nanoscale are essential to overcome these limitations. In this paper, we will explore the latest advances in nanotechnology in the gene delivery field.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 164-173
Author(s):  
Saleha Rehman ◽  
Bushra Nabi ◽  
Faheem Hyder Pottoo ◽  
Sanjula Baboota ◽  
Javed Ali

: The neuropsychiatric illnesses have been enigmatic, with no effective treatment to date. The complexity and heterogeneity of psychiatric disorders are daunting for the development of novel treatment modalities. The conventional treatment approaches are less effective and are associated with several side effects, thus creating the need for the development of more innovative strategies. Since psychiatric disorders are known to exhibit genetic linkage, gene therapy has created an interest among the researchers worldwide. The delivery of nucleic acids is a complex process requiring the transport of genetic material across various intracellular and extracellular barriers to reach the target cells eliciting the transfection process. Therefore, the identification or development of the delivery system for nucleic acid delivery still remains the challenge. Viral vectors are quite effective but are associated with toxicity and side effects. With the rapid advancement in the field of nanotechnology, nanosized materials were identified to be the perfect candidate for nonviral vectors in gene delivery. The biggest advantage of nanoparticles is that their surface can be engineered in many possible ways to deliver the drugs directly to the target site. Although gene therapy has already been established as an innovative treatment modality for several neurological diseases, its use in psychiatry still warrants more investigations for its translation into clinical use. The present manuscript discusses the prospects of gene therapy in psychiatric disorders, their benefits, and pitfalls. The review embarks upon the importance of nanoparticle-based gene therapy for effective management of psychiatric disorders.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 898 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amin Jafari ◽  
Nika Rajabian ◽  
Guojian Zhang ◽  
Mohamed Alaa Mohamed ◽  
Pedro Lei ◽  
...  

As a promising strategy for the treatment of various diseases, gene therapy has attracted increasing attention over the past decade. Among various gene delivery approaches, non-viral vectors made of synthetic biomaterials have shown significant potential. Due to their synthetic nature, non-viral vectors can have tunable structures and properties by using various building units. In particular, they can offer advantages over viral vectors with respect to biosafety and cytotoxicity. In this study, a well-defined poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(α-(propylthio-N,N-diethylethanamine hydrochloride)-ε-caprolactone) diblock polymer (PEG-b-CPCL) with one poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) block and one tertiary amine-functionalized cationic poly(ε-caprolactone) (CPCL) block, as a novel non-viral vector in the delivery of plasmid DNA (pDNA), was synthesized and studied. Despite having a degradable polymeric structure, the polymer showed remarkable hydrolytic stability over multiple weeks. The optimal ratio of the polymer to pDNA for nanocomplex formation, pDNA release from the nanocomplex with the presence of heparin, and serum stability of the nanocomplex were probed through gel electrophoresis. Nanostructure of the nanocomplexes was characterized by DLS and TEM imaging. Relative to CPCL homopolymers, PEG-b-CPCL led to better solubility over a wide range of pH. Overall, this work demonstrates that PEG-b-CPCL possesses a range of valuable properties as a promising synthetic vector for pDNA delivery.


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