Gene Therapy for Celebral Arterial Diseases.

Although there has been steady progress towards cardiovascular gene therapy in humans, gene therapy for cerebrovascular disorders is still in its infancy. Several major steps, including gene transfer to cerebral arteries and alteration of gene expression, have been taken. There are several promising targets for cerebrovascular gene therapy, such as prevention of cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage, stimulation of formation of collateral vessels to ischemic brain, and treatment of atherosclerotic lesions in carotid arteries. Some major obstacles, however, must be overcome before cerebrovascular gene therapy can be clinically used in humans. A key to cerebrovascular gene therapy is the development of safe and effective vectors for gene/nucleotide delivery. In addition, advances in understanding the biology of diseases and vectors will be of great value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]