Glaucoma gene therapy

Abstract

Gene therapy appears to be a promising approach to glaucoma treatment. Strategies include increasing conventional and uveoscleral outflow, decreasing aqueous humor secretion, increasing neuroprotection and preventing wound healing in glaucoma filtration surgery. The trabecular meshwork, ciliary body, retina and optic nerve are potential targets for glaucoma gene therapy. Different vectors for ocular gene transfer have been developed in recent years. Nonviral vectors are often limited by low transfection efficiency and transient gene expression. By contrast, virus-based vectors transfer genes more efficiently, but tissue specificity may be reduced and inflammation can limit their applicability. Even though progress has been made in glaucoma gene therapy, significant challenges and obstacles, such as problems in gene targeting technology and lack of suitable promoters, remain.

Keywords::

• gene therapy
• glaucoma