Gene therapy for primary immune deficiencies

[Gene and cell therapy for primary immunodeficiency diseases]

Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID) represents a group of inherited diseases where mutations in certain gene lead to certain levels of defects in patient immune systems. Among them, several types of PID, including severe combined immunodeficiecny (SCID), warrented development of new types of curative treatment other than allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, eventually culiminating in successful stem cell gene therapy tials such as the cases for adenosine deaminase (ADA)-deficiency SCID patients. In this article, I will summarize the current status of stem cell gene therapy for PID, and discuss the problems such clinical trials have in the present forms of treatment, e.g., possible risks of leukemogenesis due to insertional mutagenesis by the use of therapeutic viral vectors. I also try to discuss the future of this type of experimental medicine aiming for the permanent cure of PID, including the one utilizing innovative technologies such as induced pluripotent stem cells.

Molecular imaging applications for immunology

The use of multimodality molecular imaging has recently facilitated the study of molecular and cellular events in living subjects in a noninvasive and repetitive manner to improve the diagnostic capability of traditional assays. The noninvasive imaging modalities utilized for both small animal and human imaging include positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, and computed tomography (CT). Techniques specific to small-animal imaging include bioluminescent imaging (BIm) and fluorescent imaging (FIm). Molecular imaging permits the study of events within cells, the examination of cell trafficking patterns that relate to inflammatory diseases and metastases, and the ability to rapidly screen new drug treatments for distribution and effectiveness. In this paper, we will review the current field of molecular imaging assays (especially those utilizing PET and BIm modalities) and examine how they might impact animal models and human disease in the field of clinical immunology.

Gene therapy for gastric cancer: A review

Gastric cancer is common in China, and its early diagnosis and treatment are difficult. In recent years great progress has been achieved in gene therapy, and a wide array of gene therapy systems for gastric cancer has been investigated. The present article deals with the general principles of gene therapy and then focuses on how these principles may be applied to gastric cancer.

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