Gene Therapy Avenues for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

Gene therapy is a growing field in research and development that may offer a long-lasting solution to several complex diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is characterized by chronic inflammation in the lungs and the airways, leading to respiratory problems. COPD includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Optimizing treatments for gene therapy in COPD is of paramount importance given COPD's prominence as the fourth leading cause of disease-related death in the United States. We reviewed delivery methods in the current research, including liposomes, nanoparticles, electroporation, adeno-viruses, and adenoassociated viruses (AAV). The broad customizability in the diagnostic and treatment methods is evident in the recent studies. In this paper we explore each method and/or biomarker and evaluate several gene therapy avenues for COPD.