[Genetic therapy for the nervous system: a trend in modern neurology]

Genetic therapy is in itself a new type of treatment, of potential use in many neurological conditions currently considered to be resistant to conventional treatment. Great advances have been made in the construction of vectors of expression and carriers of viral genes, thus work is starting on the characterization of target cells for neuronal genetic therapy.

As a result of advances in this field, two methods of genetic transference have evolved. One, 'in vivo', involves transfection of genetic material by means of chemical or viral agents. The 'ex vivo' variant depends on manipulation of culture cells to subsequently inject them into the host organism with a view to correcting the cell phenotype. Both methods have been used in preliminary experiments designed to test the efficacy of genetic transference for improvement of dysfunction of the nervous system. At the present time there is much experimentation with the use of genetic transference using modified cells to synthetize growth factors or key enzymes of the neurotransmission process in biomodels of Parkinsonism and Alzheimer amongst other conditions.

Genetic therapy, as is shown in this review, has great therapeutic potential for nervous diseases which are very severe and complex. There is certainly a long way to go to perfect these techniques, particularly with regard to biological security and regulation of the element transferred. However, when it is used it will mean a major qualitative change in the treatment of nervous system disorders which are at present a cause of severe handicap and have little chance of treatment.