MODE OF VIRAL AND NON-VIRAL GENE TRANSFER: AN OVERVIEW

Gene therapy typically involves the insertion of foreign genomic materials into host cells to elicit a therapeutic benefit. Gene therapy is a promising therapeutic strategy technique which is effective in curing many serious incurable diseases, such as cancer and genetic disorders. The 2 broad categories of gene therapy, includes germline gene therapy and somatic gene therapy. Although germline gene therapy may have great potential, because it's currently ethically forbidden, it cannot be used; however, to this point human gene therapy has been limited to somatic cells. However, several types of viral and non-viral gene delivery systems have been developed within the last 3 decades, but no delivery system has been designed which will be applied in gene therapy for every kind of cell types in vitro and in vivo with no limitation and side effects. In this review we will explain about the history of gene therapy, types of gene delivery systems for germline and somatic cells by viral systems (retroviral, adenoviral, adeno association, herpes simplex, lentivirus) and non-viral systems (physical method: Naked DNA, DNA bombardant, electroporation, hydrodynamic, ultrasound, magnetofection) and (chemical method: Cationic lipids, types of cationic polymers and lipid polymers).