Corneal gene therapy in veterinary medicine: A review

Abstract

The cornea is an ideal target for gene therapy due to its accessibility, immune-privileged nature, and ability to perform frequent non-invasive assessment. Gene therapy has been studied in animal models of ocular corneal graft rejection, neovascularization, wound healing, fibrosis, macular degeneration, optic neuropathy, and retinal degeneration. Medical research has widely used animal models in the pursuit of improved therapeutic strategies intended to aid people. In this review we summarize the vectors currently used in ocular gene therapy and the potential applications of emerging new strategies for use in veterinary medicine. © 2012 Bosiack AP, et al.