Gene therapy instead of drugs?
Gene therapy for chronic pain has been successfully tested in the USACopper news
American scientists have successfully conducted clinical trials of gene therapy as a remedy for chronic pain, according to PhysOrg (First clinical trial of gene therapy for pain reported). A report on the study by a team of specialists led by David Fink from the University of Michigan is published in the journal Annals of Neurology (Gene therapy for pain: Results of a phase I clinical trial).
To treat chronic pain, scientists used the development of the Swedish company Diamyd Medical, specializing in biotechnology. The company's specialists have created the NG2 viral vector for embedding the necessary genes based on a harmless modification of the herpes pathogen. The herpes simplex virus was chosen as a vector because of its ability to penetrate nerve cells.
PENK genes responsible for the production of enkephalins were embedded in the genome of the harmless herpesvirus. These peptides are formed in neurons and, by binding to opioid receptors, regulate the conduct of pain impulses in the central nervous system.
Ten patients with chronic pain caused by a malignant neoplasm were selected to participate in the first stage of clinical trials. Prior to the start of the studies, all cancer patients received at least 200 milligrams of morphine or an equivalent amount of another narcotic analgesic daily.
After the introduction of low doses of NG2, the pain in the study participants practically did not change. However, in patients who received high doses of the viral vector, the intensity of the pain syndrome decreased by more than 80 percent. At the same time, the analgesic effect persisted for four weeks after NG2 injections.
David Fink suggested that NG2-based gene therapy would be used to treat pain caused by nerve damage, inflammation or malignant neoplasms. Currently, Diamyd Medical has launched the second stage of clinical trials, during which the effectiveness of NG2 will be evaluated using placebo control.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru14.04.2011