What are the challenges of using viral vectors for therapeutic applications?
Additionally, while wild-type viruses are rather selective in which cells they infect, recombinant viral vectors can have greatly expanded transduction ranges. This is a double-edged sword, as increased transduction can elevate gene transfer efficiency, but non-specific transduction can decrease the titer available at the intended site and elicit side-effects such as immune activation.1
Finally, some viral vectors integrate their genomes into existing cellular genomes, creating a risk of oncogenesis if these gene insertions disrupt existing cancer-linked genes. The incorporation of “suicide genes” – genes designed to terminate cancer cells – and developing targeted gene insertion strategies are potential methods to alleviate this risk.1
Reference:
1. C.E. Thomas, et al., “Progress and problems with the use of viral vectors for gene therapy,” Nat Rev Genet 4(5): 346-358, 2003.