Keratinocytes As A Target For Gene Transfection And Gene Expression

Over the past ten years, gene therapy has become one of the focal points of the research in the field of medical biology. Despite the great progress that has been made, some important elements of gene therapy have not been addressed, which must be answered prior to clinical trials.One of them is the selection of target cell which may influence the curative effect of gene therapy.Recent knowledge has led to the further understanding on the functions and biology of keratinocytes. Compared with other target cells of gene therapy, keratinocytes have many compelling and attractive features. Keratinocytes can be easily obtained and readily expanded from small skin biopsy specimens using defined culture conditions.Techniques for grafting epidermis back onto patients are available and constantly improving.It is easy to assess the status of the graft over time,examine for possible unwanted effects of gene therapy and,if necessary,easily remove the genetically modified area. Keratinocytes are also known to secrete a variety of cytokines and growth factors. For the reasons listed above, it has been obvious that epidermis should be an ideal organ for gene therapy.Keratinocytes have recently gained attention and are interesting candidates for target cell of gene therapy,which was named keratinocyte gene therapy.