Adenovirus-mediated transfer of regulable gene expression

The past several years have seen significant progress in the development of adenoviral vectors with markedly decreased pathological potential and greatly increased capacity for incorporation of foreign DNA. Paralleling these developments in gene transfer technology have been remarkable advances in both the design and optimization of gene regulatory systems. Ultimately, the goal of these gene regulatory systems is control of transgene expression in vivo by the administration of an exogenous compound. With the prospect of clinical human gene therapy on the horizon, the co-evolution of safe and efficient gene transfer strategies, with effective regulation of transgene expression, represents an essential step towards therapeutically viable gene transfer protocols. This review introduces recent advances in both adenoviral-based vectors and gene regulatory systems, and examines those studies in which adenoviral vectors and gene-regulatory systems have been combined in vivo.