Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:dateCreated
2004-9-29
pubmed:abstractText
The current approaches to gene therapy of monogenetic diseases into mature organisms are confronted with several problems including the following: (1) the underlying genetic defect may have already caused irreversible pathological changes; (2) the level of sufficient protein expression to ameliorate or prevent the disease requires prohibitively large amounts of gene delivery vector; (3) adult tissues may be poorly infected by conventional vector systems dependent upon cellular proliferation for optimal infection, for example, oncoretrovirus vectors; (4) immune responses, either pre-existing or developing following vector delivery, may rapidly eliminate transgenic protein expression and prevent future effective intervention. Early gene transfer, in the neonatal or even fetal period, may overcome some or all of these obstacles. The mammalian fetus enjoys a uniquely protected environment in the womb, bathed in a biochemically and physically supportive fluid devoid of myriad extra-uterine pathogens. Strong physical and chemical barriers to infection might, perhaps, impede the frenetic cell division. The physical support and the biochemical support provided by the fetal-maternal placental interface may, therefore, minimize the onset of genetic diseases manifest early in life. The fetal organism must prepare itself for birth, but lacking a mature adaptive immune system may depend upon more primordial immune defences. It is the nature of these defences, and the vulnerabilities they protect, that are poorly understood in the context of gene therapy and might provide useful information for approaches to gene therapy in the young, as well as perhaps the mature organism.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Oct
pubmed:issn
0969-7128
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
11 Suppl 1
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
S92-7
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2004
pubmed:articleTitle
Fetal and neonatal gene therapy: benefits and pitfalls.
pubmed:affiliation
Imperial College London, Gene Therapy Research Group, Section of Cell and Molecular Biology, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Imperial College Road, London, UK.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Review, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't