The Western journal of medicine
-
Advances in molecular biology and recombinant DNA technologies have contributed to our understanding of the molecular basis of many diseases. Now the possibility of gene transfer into normal cells to produce a gene product of therapeutic potential, or into diseased cells to correct the pathologic alteration, promises to revolutionize medical practice. In contemporary medicine, many therapeutic strategies focus on the link between a biochemical deficiency and the ensuing disorder. ⋯ Treatment directed at specific molecular alterations associated with the development of neurologic disease provides expectations of more effective and less toxic therapy. The development of gene therapy for nervous system tumors has progressed rapidly and may be prototypical in the development of therapies for inherited and acquired disorders of the nervous system. We describe possible strategies for using gene therapy to treat nervous system disorders, and we review recent advances in gene therapy for nervous system tumors.
-
On July 25, 1989, President George Bush, in response to reports written by the National Advisory Councils of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the National Institute of Mental Health and at the urging of Congress, signed a presidential declaration designating the 1990s to be the "Decade of the Brain" and called on the United States to observe the decade with appropriate activities. At mid-decade, scientific accomplishment has been spectacular; however, both public support and increases in research resources have been minimal. It can be anticipated that scientific progress will continue to be impressive for the remainder of the decade, but many research opportunities will either not be addressed or will be postponed. At mid-decade, the time has come to re-evaluate the research agenda and the public strategy for the remainder of the decade.