Targeting site-specific chromosome integration

The concept of gene therapy was introduced with great promise and high expectations. However, what appeared simple in theory has not translated into practice. Despite some success in clinical trials, the research community is still facing an old problem: namely, the need for a vector that can deliver a gene to target cells without adverse events while maintaining a long-term therapeutic effect. Some of these challenges are being addressed by the development of hybrid vectors which meld two different viral systems to incorporate efficient gene delivery and large cloning capacity with site-specific integration. The two known systems that integrate genes into specific sites in mammalian genomes are the adeno-associated virus and phage integrases. Recent experiments with hybrid vectors incorporating both of these systems are encouraging. However, extensive research should be directed towards the safety and efficacy of this approach before it will be available for gene therapy.