Grafting genetically modified cells to the brain: possibilities for the future.

Diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) are particularly difficult to develop because of the relative inaccessibility of the mammalian brain to study and chemical treatment, the complexity and interconnectedness of CNS subsystems, and the profound and continued lack of fundamental understanding of the relationship between structure and function in the CNS. Neural grafting in the CNS has recently suggested a potential approach to CNS therapy through the selective replacement of cells lost as a result of disease or damage. Independently, studies aimed at direct genetic therapy in model systems have recently begun to suggest conceptually new approaches to the treatment of several kinds of human genetic disease, especially those caused by single-gene enzyme deficiencies. We suggest that a combination of these two approaches, namely the grafting into the CNS of genetically modified cells, may provide a new approach toward the restoration of some functions in the damaged or diseased CNS. We present evidence for the feasibility of this approach, including a description of some current techniques for mammalian cell gene transfer and CNS grafting, and several possible approaches to clinical applications.