Imaging of vascular gene therapy.

Gene therapy is an exciting frontier in medicine today. Many genes have been shown to be useful for treatment of various vascular diseases, including chronic cardiac and limb ischemia syndromes, vasculoproliferative disorder, hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerosis, thrombosis, and hypertension. Precise delivery of genes into target vessels, efficient transfer of genes into vascular cells of the target, and prompt assessment of gene expression over time are three challenging tasks for successful vascular gene therapy. Thus, in vivo imaging methods that can be used to monitor gene delivery and localize gene expression are needed. Modern imaging techniques provide an opportunity to monitor and direct vascular gene therapy. Radiologists play a key role not only in developing and mastering endovascular genetic interventions but also in assessing the success of vascular gene therapy and directing further refinement of vascular gene therapy technology. This article provides an overview of the current status of imaging of vascular gene therapy.