USE OF GENE THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE – LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases are the most common cause of dementia, affecting around 55 million elderly worldwide, Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) corresponds to 60% of all cases. These elderlies reveal memory loss, impairment of language and thought formulation. AD has no cure, only its symptoms are treated, which does not prevent the disease from progressing. Also, throughout the course of brain degeneration progress, drugs no longer show significant effects. For this reason, the set of changes in the DNA of individuals who suffer from the disease can provide an important biomarker that has been the target of studies involving gene therapy. This technique occurs through the correction of modified genes or site-specific modifications, which can be through DNA or RNA, intending to treat or prevent diseases and uses a viral or non-viral vector which helps deliver genetic material to the cell. In the following we searched for clinical studies that portrayed some advances in the treatment of AD using gene therapy techniques. Due to the ability to alter and induce the expression of specific proteins, gene therapy presents a promising future in the restoration and correction of the pathogenic mechanism.