Treatment of autoimmune diseases by targeted DNA vaccines encoding proinflammatory mediators

Abstract

Conceptually, gene therapy has been used as an efficient methodology to circum-vent genetic deficiency by transfection of cDNA encoding the appropriate functional gene product. It is therefore conceivable that best candidates for this way of therapy would be genetic diseases associated with a single-gene mutation, such as X-linked agammaglobulinemia or cystic fibrosis. Paradoxically, it appears that gene therapy needs to confront similar levels of technological challenges when encountering genetic disorders, such as X-linked agammaglobulinemia or cystic fibrosis, to those required for a successful intervention in multifactorial diseases. Yet, while genetic disorders that evolve a mutation in a single gene are rare, multifactorial diseases are a major cause of illness and death in the developed countries. This has motivated scientists to explore gene therapy strategies in multifactorial disorders. The current review discusses the use of a modification of gene therapy named DNA vaccination to suggest novel ways for interfering in the regulation of the inflammatory process in T-cell-mediated auto-immune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and others.