Seiichi Yamano and Bruce J. Baum*
Gene Therapy and Therapeutics Branch, National Institute of Dental and
Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health,
Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
*Correspondence and reprint requests to: Dr. Bruce J. Baum, GTTB/NIDCR/NIH,
Building 10, Room 1N113, 10 Center Drive, MSC 1190, Bethesda, MD 20892-1190,
USA
Abstract: The clinical potential of gene transfer is increasing.
One likely major application of this emerging biotechnology will be for
gene therapeutics, the use of a gene as a drug. Salivary glands provide
an unusual but increasingly valuable target site for gene transfer. Studies
in animal salivary glands from several laboratories, including our own,
have provided proof of this concept. In this review, we provide a background
and perspective on possible strategies for gene-based immunopharmacology
in salivary glands. We use as a target disease model the autoimmune exocrinopathy
Sjoren's syndrome.
Keywords: Gene therapeutics, Salivary gland, Autoimmune disease, Cytokine,
Adeno-associated virus