Gene Electrotransfer for Clinical Use

Introduction

Gene therapy refers to the introduction of nucleic acids, e.g., DNAs or RNAs, into the cells of target tissues with a therapeutic purpose. Gene therapy can be applied as a gene replacement therapy or mutation compensation (e.g., replacement of mutated oncogene), gene immunopotentiation (e.g., introduction of cytokines and co-stimulatory molecules), a molecular chemotherapy (e.g., gene directed enzyme/prodrug therapy) in cancer gene therapy, and gene vaccination (e.g., introduction of specific antigen).

The main faltering block to effective and broader use of gene therapy remains the effective delivery of therapeutic gene to target tissue. In general, gene delivery systems can be divided in viral and nonviral delivery. Among viral delivery vectors, adenoviral and retroviral vectors are the most advanced [1, 2]. Nonviral delivery systems are based on chemical vectors (e.g., liposomes, dendrimers, nanoparticles) or physical methods of delivery (e.g., electroporation,...