MYOBLASTS IN PATTERN-FORMATION AND GENE-THERAPY

The tissues of a multicellular animal are composed of diverse cell typ es arranged in a precisely organized pattern. Features unique to muscl e allow an analysis of pattern formation and maintenance in mammals. T he progeny of single cells can be taken full cycle from the animal to the culture dish and back to the animal where they fuse into mature my ofibers of the host. These features not only facilitate the use of gen etically engineered myoblasts in studies of pattern formation, but als o in cell-mediated gene therapy: a novel mode of drug delivery for the treatment of muscle and nonmuscle diseases such as hemophilia, cardia c disease and cancer.