Some Initial Success in Gene Therapy, Gene Marking, Tumour infiltrating Lymphocytes, Interleukin, Protocol, ADA Gene Therapy, Deaminase Deficiecy

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	Some initial Success in Gene therapy In the past, for approved human genetic engineering (or gene therapy), experiments were conducted and partial success was achieved. These experiments include the following: (i) Neo R/TIL gene marking. In 1989, using Neo R/TIL protocol, the first gene-marked immune cells (tumour infiltrating lymphocytes = TIL) were successfully transferred into patients with advanced cancer. The TILs are those lymphocytes that are isolated directly from tumour and are then grown to large numbers in tissue culture in the presence of cell growth factor (interleukin-2 = IL-2).
In Neo R/TIL protocol, an aliquot of cells from TIL is taken; a marker gene is transferred to these cells (the marker gene is neomycin resistance gene = Neo R) using retroviral vector; the marked cell and unmarked cells are grown together and then transferred back to the patient. This is an example of a successful delivery of a marker gene. Thus demonstrating the feasibility of gene delivery approach. (ii) ADA gene therapy. In. 1900 the first trial of actual gene therapy was conducted in USA. A little (4 years old) girl suffering with adenosine deaminase deficiency (ADA), a lethal disorder, was transfected with lymphocytes bearing the ADA gene carried by retroviral vector. In 1991 another girl (9 years old) began treatment in USA and received more than a dozen transfusions by 1992.
In December 1991, a conference titled Human Gene Therapy was held at National Institute of Health in USA and concluded that gene therapy would soon become a potent force in medicine to deal with heart diseases, liver diseases, diabetes, and a variety of cancers. It was hoped that gene therapy will eventually play a role in disease prevention by correcting deficiencies right at birth. The cellular vehicles for gene transfer also multiplied and included endothelial cells and myoblasts, besides lymphocytes. Efforts were also made at University of California, San Diego to treat the children with AIDS using gene therapy. Stem cells from umbilical cord blood were transformed with anti-HIV gene for an enzyme cleaving HIV (Science, Vol. 268, 12 May, 1995).
Both these patients were doing well. In Italy also, a five year old boy was given a mixture of ADA gene - corrected T cells and bone marrow cells. In Netherlands also bone marrow gene therapy protocol for ADA deficiency was approved in 1992. In 1993, Donald Kohn in Los Angeles separated CD34 cells from umbilical cord blood and transformed them with ADA gene and reintroduced them in the 3 days old children (three). The experiment was partially successful. (iii) Cancer gene therapy. In 1991 two protocols for cancer gene therapy were initiated in USA. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF. an anticancer agent) gene or IL-2 (interleukin-2) gene was inserted in TIL tumours cells isolated from the patient and grown in culture. These gene-corrected cells were then injected into the body of patient. Other cancer gene therapy protocols were also approved.

In Utero Gene Therapy or IUGT (Before Symptons Appear)
Gene Therapy for Genetic (Heritable) Diseases
Gene Therapy for Acquired Diseased
Gene Therapy for Infectious diseases
Gene Therapy for Cardiovascular diseases
Gene Therapy for cancer (somatic mutations)
Ex vivo Gene Transfer in tumour cells, Fibroblasts or T lymphocytes
Ex vivo Gene transfer in Bone marrow Stem cells
Nanotechnology for Drug Targeting and Gene Therapy
Gene Therapy using nanotechnology
Some Initial Success in Gene Therapy
Gene Therapy Deaths and the Future of Gene Therapy