Human cell models for genetic engineering

Technological advances made in molecular biology and culture of human and other mammalian cells in vitro have increased the ability to introduce functional genes into a variety of cell types. Subgenomic components of both DNA and RNA viruses are used as the eukaryotic components of many recombinant DNA vector constructs which are used for transfection either by a variety of methods to facilitate DNA uptake or as virions. This paper reviews some of the factors involved in expression, persistence, and recombination of the introduced genes. Also considered are the use of DNA transfection models to study human cancer or other diseases, the current status of gene therapy, and the use of human cells to produce biologicals. The need to better develop well-characterized human cell culture models from multiple organ sites and various cell types is a recurrent theme for all of these applications, including the role that such cells will play in understanding the functions for genes which will be identified in the human genome cloning project. With continued study and a better understanding of pathophysiology at the cellular and molecular levels should come the logical next step of adding genetically engineered human cells to the repertoire of acceptable biomedical technologies.