Gene Therapy Targeting Glaucoma: Where Are We?

In a chronic disease Such as glaucoma, a therapy that provides a long lasting local effect with minimal systemic side effects, while circumventing the issue of patient compliance, is very attractive. The field of gene therapy is growing rapidly and Ocular applications are expanding. Our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of glaucoma is leading to greater specificity in Ocular tissue targeting. Improvements in gene delivery techniques, refinement of vector construction methods, and development. of better animal models combine to bring this potential therapy closer to reality. (Surv Ophthalmol 54:472-486, 2009. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)