Uses of viral vectors have thus far eclipsed uses of non-viral vectors for gene therapy delivery in the clinic. Viral vectors, however, have certain issues involving genome integration, the inability to be delivered repeatedly, and possible host rejection. Fortunately, development of non-viral DNA vectors has progressed steadily, especially in plasmid vector length reduction, now allowing these...

Traditional approach of inactivated or live-attenuated vaccine immunization has resulted in impressive success in the reduction and control of infectious disease outbreaks. However, many pathogens remain less amenable to deal with the traditional vaccine strategies, and more appropriate vaccine strategy is in need. Recent discoveries that led to increased understanding of viral molecular biolog...

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is a non-pathogenic humanDNAviruswith a unique profile of biological properties that have been of interest to molecular virologists for many years (Berns, 1990; Carter, 1990; Carter et al., 1990). Recently,AAV has also attracted interest as a vector for gene transfer (Carter, 1992; Flotte, 1993a; Hermonat andMuzyczka, 1984; Tratschin et al., 1984). In a general sens...

Recombinant vectors can be used to deliver antigens and to stimulate immune responses in humans. Viral vectors possess various intrinsic properties which may lend to advantages and disadvantages for usage for a given therapeutic application [reviewed by Larocca and Schlom] [1]. The safety and flexibility of recombinant viral vectors have lead to their usage in gene therapy, virotherapy, and vac...

Human tumours typically harbour multiple mutations in tumour suppressor genes and oncogenes. Histologically identical tumours in different patients often exhibit different combinations of genetic alterations and it is now also evident that considerable genetic heterogeneity can exist between cells within individual tumours. A major ongoing research challenge remains to determine the functional ...

Non-viral delivery systems usually include mechanical, electrical, and chemical methods. Cationic liposomes and cationic polymers are two typical classes of non-viral vectors. Com‐ pared with viral vectors, non-viral ones are considered promising vehicles for gene therapy because of their low toxicity, biocompatibility, and controllability [1, 2], although their low efficacy limits their applic...

Viruses can be engineered to efficiently deliver exogenous genes, but their natural gene delivery properties often fail to meet human therapeutic needs. Therefore, engineering viral vectors with new properties, including enhanced targeting abilities and resistance to immune responses, is a growing area of research. This review discusses protein engineering approaches to generate viral vectors w...