VEGF and HGF are pleiotropic factors that regulate cell growth, cell motility, and morphogenesis of various types of cells. The receptors of these growth factors are expressed in neurons and endothelial cells, and are identified as neurotrophic, neuroprotective, and angiogenic factors. Indeed, gene therapy using viral vectors encoding the VEGF or HGF gene has been reported to be effective for p...

Gene-directed tissue repair offers the clinician, human or veterinary, the chance to enhance cartilage regeneration and repair at a molecular level. Non-viral plasmid vectors have key biosafety advantages over viral vector systems for regenerative therapies due to their episomal integration however, conventional non-viral vectors can suffer from low transfection efficiency. Our objective was to...

In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in developing gene therapy approaches for the treatment of cancer. The two events that have permitted the formulation of concept of cancer gene therapy are the new understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying oncogenesis, and the development of the DNA-delivery vehicles or vectors. Many approaches to cancer gene therapy have been propos...

With an increased prevalence and understanding of central nervous system (CNS) injuries and neurological disorders, nucleic acid therapies are gaining promise as a way to regenerate lost neurons or halt disease progression. While more viral vectors have been used clinically as tools for gene delivery, non-viral vectors are gaining interest due to lower safety concerns and the ability to deliver...