Reproductive tract gene transfer.

OBJECTIVE: Gene therapy is a rapidly evolving novel treatment for human disease. This review discusses the latest development in gene transfer technology and its potential use in the female reproductive tract.
METHODS: A comprehensive search using the MEDLINE database was performed to review current, innovative trends in gene transfer technology. In addition, articles on reproductive tract gene transfer were reviewed. CONCLUSION(S): Recent developments, such as the Human Genome Project, have generated great interest in the genetic basis of human health and disease. Gene therapy is a rapidly evolving field that uses gene transfer to treat disease. Ongoing research in the field focuses on improving vector technology to enable efficient in vivo gene transfer. Although multiple techniques for gene transfer have been described, no single technique can be used in all instances. The human female reproductive tract is easily accessible and can be readily transfected. In vivo gene transfer has resulted in successful alteration of implantation rates and has demonstrated potential for use in treatment of ovarian cancer.