Gene therapy in the neuroendocrine system: its implementation in experimental models using viral vectors

Endocrine aspects of cancer gene therapy

The field of cancer gene therapy is in continuous expansion, and technology is quickly moving ahead as far as gene targeting and regulation of gene expression are concerned. This review focuses on the endocrine aspects of gene therapy, including the possibility to exploit hormone and hormone receptor functions for regulating therapeutic gene expression, the use of endocrine-specific genes as new therapeutic tools, the effects of viral vector delivery and transgene expression on the endocrine system, and the endocrine response to viral vector delivery. Present ethical concerns of gene therapy and the risk of germ cell transduction are also discussed, along with potential lines of innovation to improve cell and gene targeting.

Neuroendocrine research models

The neuroendocrine system has always been a main research area for neuroscience. The distinctiveness of this system is due to its diverse anatomical and physiological properties, which modulates the homeostasis and reproductivity of the organism. For decades, generated research models have served to elucidate the complex properties of this system and provided invaluable data on the physiology and mechanism. Currently, the basic research has concentrated on the mechanisms of neuropeptide secretion, carriage and transportation with neurotransmitters and mechanisms operative during various physiological or pathological states. Comparable to the basic research, neuroendocrine models also help to investigate certain clinical aspects of neurological neurosurgical diseases. Pituitary adenomas have been induced by several methods in rats to elucidate adenoma morphology, characteristics and treatment options. More recently, experimental studies are concentrated on the effectiveness of therapeutic gene transfer in neuroendocrine disorders and tumors. Moreover, animal models are of great importance for both to investigate the role of hypothalamus in aging and the potential of correcting age-related neurodegenerative processes in this setting.

Pituitary tumor diagnosis and treatment

Over the past few years, significant contributions have been made to the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of pituitary tumors. This article reviews recent advances in the areas of biology, diagnostic imaging, medical diagnosis and treatment, surgical results and technique, and adjuvant therapy in the form of radiotherapy and radiosurgery. Of particular note are the roles of endoscopy, intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging, radiosurgery, and radiation for nonfunction tumors, the diagnosis of Cushing's disease, the management of "incidentalomas," and new medication therapies.