Gene Therapy – From Laboratory to the Clinic

With advances in our understanding of the molecular biology of human diseases and the development of efficient gene transfer techniques, the treatment of such diseases as cancer and infectious disease using gene therapy has progressed from a distant prospect to a distinct possibility in a very short time. The development of gene transfer methods which are suitable for different forms of therapy has been a major topic of research over the past several years.

A common goal of this research has been to achieve the efficient delivery of genes into cells. The successful implementation of gene transfer as a cure for diseases, however, will continue to require the translation of preclinical studies in gene therapy into effective clinical protocols. This volume outlines the latest developments in cancer treatment using various gene delivery systems, which include cytokine gene transfer, the delivery of anti-ras DNA by retroviral vector and the injection of allogeneic HLA DNA via liposomes.

Several of these molecular approaches have recently been approved by the US FDA as human clinical trial protocols in order to assess their therapeutic efficiency and safety for cancer treatment. Further developments in recombinant DNA technology within this field should ultimately lead to dramatic improvements in the practice of medicine.