Int MS J. 2003 Aug;10(3):84-8
Martino G.
Department of Neuroscience DIBIT, San Raffaele Scientific Institute,
Milan, Italy.
The bloodbrain barrier limits the therapeutic efficacy of systemic administration of anti-inflammatory and/or neuroprotective molecules to patients affected by immune-mediated inflammatory demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) such as multiple sclerosis.
Drug delivery to the CNS using non-replicative viral vectors may represent a valid alternative therapeutic strategy.
Gene therapy for multiple sclerosis might include different 'human-grade' vectors, which could be used to deliver anti-inflammatory molecules as well as neuroprotective agents into the CNS in a flexible and useful way.
These potential 'therapeutic' vectors would have different life spans, tissue tropism and infectivity rates.