GENE THERAPY (VIRAL AND NON-VIRAL VECTORS) - Essay Example

HVS (Harpes Simplex Virus Vector) happens to be the most complex as well as the largest among all viruses under development for gene therapy with one of its features of importance being that it has a capacity that is able to carry he fragments for foreign DNA (Mohammed, Al-Dosari1, & Xiang 2009). Hybrid vectors- in demand for better vectors, most researchers are trying to combine significant features of distinct viruses in hybrid vectors. Among the fascinating hybrids brings together the site specific integration machine for wild type AAV together with the nuclear targeting as well as efficient internalization properties of adenovirus (Clare, Anja, & Mark 2003).

There seems to be a bright future for vectors given that vectors development within the past several years has encouraging results. Less immunogenic vectors have been deleted through creation of new gene production systems that are efficient. The haematopietic cells’ ex vivo transduction has been improved in its efficiency. The in vivo trans-gene expression has been improved in its efficiency and specificity by means of tissue specific optimization as well as inducible promoters. There has been expansion of vector tropisms repertoire as well as pre-existing immune responses evasion by developing alternative viral serotypes (Clare, Anja, & Mark 2003).

Several applications of gene therapy look promising in clinical early phase trial for instance haemophilia B treatment by use of rAAV, vascular and coronary artery disease treatment by use of viral vectors and certain kinds of cancer treatment by use of “conditionally replicating ecolytic viruses” (Kenneth & Teni 2003). Viral-vectors- Typically, viral vectors do consist of viral particles that have nucleic acid with a capseid protein covering it at least and mostly further by the structure of an envelope.

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