[Viral vectors for clinical gene therapy]

The first positive clinical results of gene therapy trials have now become evident. The relatively few positive results and the numerous negative trials make it possible to identify both problems and potential for new development. The biggest problems have come from the viral vectors used for gene transfer. Most of the successful gene therapy trials have involved monogenetic diseases, where the relevant tissue has been isolated ex vivo, and where a retroviral vector has been inserted into the therapeutic gene in the nuclear DNA. Gene therapy seems to have a definite therapeutic potential in several rare, inherited diseases and also in certain acquired diseases, such as ischaemic heart disease.