Abstract

GUTIERREZ-VARGAS, Johanna  and  CARDONA-GOMEZ, Gloria Patricia. Gene therapy in neurodegeneration and dementia post-stroke. Rev. acad. colomb. cienc. exact. fis. nat. [online]. 2017, vol.41, n.158, pp.6-21. ISSN 0370-3908.  https://doi.org/10.18257/raccefyn.437.

Cerebrovascular disease has become a worldwide health problem due to its high mortality and disability rate. It is the third leading cause of death risk in our country and the first cause of physical and mental disability in the world. Many therapeutic strategies have been evaluated both in experimental models and in clinical trials without success. One of the major shortcomings of these therapeutic studies is the limitation in the intervention time (less than four and a half hours) and the short time of protection or follow-up of the therapy, which generates long-term sequelae in the patients. Gene therapy has been shown to be a very useful tool for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases; however, experimental studies are few, specifically in cerebral ischemia. Our research has demonstrated the potential benefit of RNA interference based gene therapy to prevent and reverse neurodegenerative effects and cognitive impairment following a stroke. However, therapeutic difficulties inherent to the cerebral nervous system should be overcome, and the interests of government, business and scientific and academic sectors should be coordinated to procure investment and to facilitate the translation of promising therapies proposed from our region aimed at reducing the sequelae of chronic non-communicable diseases, including physical and mental disability after a stroke. © 2017. Acad. Colomb. Cienc. Ex. Fis. Nat.

Keywords : Stroke; Neurodegeneration; Cognitive impairment; Dementia; Gene therapy; RNA interference; Translational medicine.

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