Review Article

Gene therapy for arthritis

Authors

Russell S. Traister¹ and Raphael Hirsch¹

1. Division of Rheumatology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3705 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA

Received:

28 August 2007

Accepted:

9 October 2007

Published online:

5 January 2008

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Abstract

Arthritis is among the leading causes of disability in the developed world. There remains no cure for this disease and the current treatments are only modestly effective at slowing the disease's progression and providing symptomatic relief. The clinical effectiveness of current treatment regimens has been limited by short half-lives of the drugs and the requirement for repeated systemic administration. Utilizing gene transfer approaches for the treatment of arthritis may overcome some of the obstacles associated with current treatment strategies. The present review examines recent developments in gene therapy for arthritis. Delivery strategies, gene transfer vectors, candidate genes, and safety are also discussed.

Key words

Rheumatoid arthritis - Gene therapy - Gene transfer - Inflammation - Cytokines