Human Gene Therapy: Current Opportunities and Future Trends


Book Description

Advances in genetics, molecular biology and gene delivery technologies in recent years have led to new gene therapy strategies for treatment of a variety of diseases. This book gives a comprehensive overview of the present status and future directions of gene delivery systems and therapeutic strategies for the clinical application of gene therapy in cancer, cardiovascular and central nervous system diseases. Stem cell-based therapies and gene expression regulatory systems as novel platform technologies for various gene therapy applications are also discussed. Leading experts give excellent overviews of basic molecular aspects and clinical applications in this new emerging biomedical field.




Index Medicus


Book Description

Vols. for 1963- include as pt. 2 of the Jan. issue: Medical subject headings.




Human Genome Editing


Book Description

Genome editing is a powerful new tool for making precise alterations to an organism's genetic material. Recent scientific advances have made genome editing more efficient, precise, and flexible than ever before. These advances have spurred an explosion of interest from around the globe in the possible ways in which genome editing can improve human health. The speed at which these technologies are being developed and applied has led many policymakers and stakeholders to express concern about whether appropriate systems are in place to govern these technologies and how and when the public should be engaged in these decisions. Human Genome Editing considers important questions about the human application of genome editing including: balancing potential benefits with unintended risks, governing the use of genome editing, incorporating societal values into clinical applications and policy decisions, and respecting the inevitable differences across nations and cultures that will shape how and whether to use these new technologies. This report proposes criteria for heritable germline editing, provides conclusions on the crucial need for public education and engagement, and presents 7 general principles for the governance of human genome editing.




Heritable Human Genome Editing


Book Description

Heritable human genome editing - making changes to the genetic material of eggs, sperm, or any cells that lead to their development, including the cells of early embryos, and establishing a pregnancy - raises not only scientific and medical considerations but also a host of ethical, moral, and societal issues. Human embryos whose genomes have been edited should not be used to create a pregnancy until it is established that precise genomic changes can be made reliably and without introducing undesired changes - criteria that have not yet been met, says Heritable Human Genome Editing. From an international commission of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the U.K.'s Royal Society, the report considers potential benefits, harms, and uncertainties associated with genome editing technologies and defines a translational pathway from rigorous preclinical research to initial clinical uses, should a country decide to permit such uses. The report specifies stringent preclinical and clinical requirements for establishing safety and efficacy, and for undertaking long-term monitoring of outcomes. Extensive national and international dialogue is needed before any country decides whether to permit clinical use of this technology, according to the report, which identifies essential elements of national and international scientific governance and oversight.




Altmetrics for Research Outputs Measurement and Scholarly Information Management


Book Description

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the International Workshop on Altmetrics for Research Outputs Measurements and Scholarly Information Management, AROSIM 2018, held in Singapore, in January 2018. The 7 revised full papers presented together with two keynote papers and one introduction paper were carefully reviewed and selected from 20 submissions. The workshop will investigate how social media based metrics along with traditional and non-traditional metrics can advance the state-of-the-art in measuring research outputs.




Oversight and Review of Clinical Gene Transfer Protocols


Book Description

Gene transfer research is a rapidly advancing field that involves the introduction of a genetic sequence into a human subject for research or diagnostic purposes. Clinical gene transfer trials are subject to regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at the federal level and to oversight by institutional review boards (IRBs) and institutional biosafety committees (IBCs) at the local level before human subjects can be enrolled. In addition, at present all researchers and institutions funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are required by NIH guidelines to submit human gene transfer protocols for advisory review by the NIH Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC). Some protocols are then selected for individual review and public discussion. Oversight and Review of Clinical Gene Transfer Protocols provides an assessment of the state of existing gene transfer science and the current regulatory and policy context under which research is investigated. This report assesses whether the current oversight of individual gene transfer protocols by the RAC continues to be necessary and offers recommendations concerning the criteria the NIH should employ to determine whether individual protocols should receive public review. The focus of this report is on the standards the RAC and NIH should use in exercising its oversight function. Oversight and Review of Clinical Gene Transfer Protocols will assist not only the RAC, but also research institutions and the general public with respect to utilizing and improving existing oversight processes.




Genetically Engineered Crops


Book Description

Genetically engineered (GE) crops were first introduced commercially in the 1990s. After two decades of production, some groups and individuals remain critical of the technology based on their concerns about possible adverse effects on human health, the environment, and ethical considerations. At the same time, others are concerned that the technology is not reaching its potential to improve human health and the environment because of stringent regulations and reduced public funding to develop products offering more benefits to society. While the debate about these and other questions related to the genetic engineering techniques of the first 20 years goes on, emerging genetic-engineering technologies are adding new complexities to the conversation. Genetically Engineered Crops builds on previous related Academies reports published between 1987 and 2010 by undertaking a retrospective examination of the purported positive and adverse effects of GE crops and to anticipate what emerging genetic-engineering technologies hold for the future. This report indicates where there are uncertainties about the economic, agronomic, health, safety, or other impacts of GE crops and food, and makes recommendations to fill gaps in safety assessments, increase regulatory clarity, and improve innovations in and access to GE technology.




A Guide to Human Gene Therapy


Book Description

1. Non-viral gene therapy / Sean M. Sullivan -- 2. Adenoviral vectors / Stuart A. Nicklin and Andrew H. Baker -- 3. Retroviral vectors and integration analysis / Cynthia C. Bartholomae [und weitere] -- 4. Lentiviral vectors / Janka Matrai, Marinee K.L. Chuah and Thierry VandenDriessche -- 5. Herpes simplex virus vectors / William F. Goins [und weitere] -- 6. Adeno-Associated Viral (AAV) vectors / Nicholas Muzyczka -- 7. Regulatory RNA in gene therapy / Alfred. S. Lewin -- 8. DNA integrating vectors (Transposon, Integrase) / Lauren E. Woodard and Michele P. Calos -- 9. Homologous recombination and targeted gene modification for gene therapy / Matthew Porteus -- 10. Gene switches for pre-clinical studies in gene therapy / Caroline Le Guiner [und weitere] -- 11. Gene therapy for central nervous system disorders / Deborah Young and Patricia A. Lawlor -- 12. Gene therapy of hemoglobinopathies / Angela E. Rivers and Arun Srivastava -- 13. Gene therapy for primary immunodeficiencies / Aisha Sauer, Barbara Cassani and Alessandro Aiuti -- 14. Gene therapy for hemophilia / David Markusic, Babak Moghimi and Roland Herzog -- 15. Gene therapy for obesity and diabetes / Sergei Zolotukhin and Clive H. Wasserfall -- 16. Gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy / Takashi Okada and Shin'ichi Takeda -- 17. Cancer gene therapy / Kirsten A.K. Weigel-Van Aken -- 18. Gene therapy for autoimmune disorders / Daniel F. Gaddy, Melanie A. Ruffner and Paul D. Robbins -- 19. Gene therapy for inherited metabolic storage diseases / Cathryn Mah -- 20. Retinal diseases / Shannon E. Boye, Sanford L. Boye and William W. Hauswirth -- 21. A brief guide to gene therapy treatments for pulmonary diseases / Ashley T. Martino, Christian Mueller and Terence R. Flotte -- 22. Cardiovascular disease / Darin J. Falk, Cathryn S. Mah and Barry J. Byrne




Adenoviral Vectors for Gene Therapy


Book Description

Adenoviral Vectors for Gene Therapy, Second Edition provides detailed, comprehensive coverage of the gene delivery vehicles that are based on the adenovirus that is emerging as an important tool in gene therapy. These exciting new therapeutic agents have great potential for the treatment of disease, making gene therapy a fast-growing field for research. This book presents topics ranging from the basic biology of adenoviruses, through the construction and purification of adenoviral vectors, cutting-edge vectorology, and the use of adenoviral vectors in preclinical animal models, with final consideration of the regulatory issues surrounding human clinical gene therapy trials. This broad scope of information provides a solid overview of the field, allowing the reader to gain a complete understanding of the development and use of adenoviral vectors. - Provides complete coverage of the basic biology of adenoviruses, as well as their construction, propagation, and purification of adenoviral vectors - Introduces common strategies for the development of adenoviral vectors, along with cutting-edge methods for their improvement - Demonstrates noninvasive imaging of adenovirus-mediated gene transfer - Discusses utility of adenoviral vectors in animal disease models - Considers Federal Drug Administration regulations for human clinical trials




Immunopharmacology


Book Description

During the past decades, with the introduction of the recombinant DNA, hybridoma and transgenic technologies there has been an exponential evolution in understanding the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of a large number of human diseases. The technologies are evident with the development of cytokines and monoclonal antibodies as therapeutic agents and the techniques used in gene therapy. Immunopharmacology is that area of biomedical sciences where immunology, pharmacology and pathology overlap. It concerns the pharmacological approach to the immune response in physiological as well as pathological events. This goals and objectives of this textbook are to emphasize the developments in immunology and pharmacology as they relate to the modulation of immune response. The information includes the pharmacology of cytokines, monoclonal antibodies, mechanism of action of immune-suppressive agents and their relevance in tissue transplantation, therapeutic strategies for the treatment of AIDS and the techniques employed in gene therapy. The book is intended for health care professional students and graduate students in pharmacology and immunology.