Cardiovascular Gene Delivery Systems

An interesting and quite modern use of polymers in cardiovascular gene therapy is the ultrasound driven microbubble-assisted delivery of genes to target organs, and this technique, along with the polymeric materials used therein, shall be discussed separately as a distinct category. 

---

The initial viral-based gene delivery experiments were performed in vitro using replication defective retroviral vectors in an attempt to transduce endothelial cells (Yao et al., 1991). Preliminary viral-based in vivo cardiovascular gene delivery experiments were also performed using retroviral vectors and demonstrated this vector system s ability to successfully transduce vascular endothelial cells (Newman et al., 1991). Although attempts at direct transduction of the carotid artery were not successful, it was established that efficient endothelial transduction could be achieved through the retrovirus-mediated infection of cells ex vivo and their subsequent arterial seeding in vivo (Lynch et al., 1992). 

A confluence of scientific, technical, and medical advancements has made genetic therapeutics for cardiovascular disease a promising and exciting field. The molecular mechanisms of major cardiovascular disorders such as atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, and myocardial failure have been well characterized. Sophisticated surgical and catheter-based systems that can enable the delivery of therapeutic genes or cells in vivo are in clinical use, and clinical therapeutic end-points for the evaluation of treatment efficacy have been clearly defined. Simultaneously, gene therapy has evolved from a modality restricted to the potential cure of monogenetic diseases to a therapeutic platform that enables cus-... 

---