CARDIOVASCULAR GENE-THERAPY - CURRENT CONCEPTS

Gene therapy techniques are under development for many areas of medici ne, including cardiovascular disease. Identifying appropriate gene tar gets will require more detailed knowledge of the molecular pathophysio logy of these disorders, and choosing appropriate vectors and delivery systems will contribute significantly to the challenge of developing this approach for clinical use. The concepts of toxicology and therape utic drug monitoring will need to be broadened to account for the uniq ue chemical, biological, and genetic characteristics of gene therapeut ic agents. This review will provide an overview of strategy developmen t, currently available vectors, and examples of their application to c ardiovascular gene transfer. Considerations of the potential toxicitie s associated with particular vectors and delivery systems, as well as the types of genetic modifications possible, will provide some guideli nes regarding appropriate monitoring of their clinical application.