[Gene therapy on spine fusion].

Spine fusion stabilize adjacent vertebral segments by achieving bone union. The preferred method of spine fusion involves decortication of the host bed and transplantation of autologous bone graft from the iliac crest. Although autologous bone grafting is the gold standard, this procedure has significant complication. Gene therapy represents the new frontier of medical science that holds much promise for the improvement of spinal arthrodesis. Studies have shown the efficacy in using liposome-mediated and adenovirus-mediated gene transfer of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and related gene in animal models. Several studies in which gene transfer has been used specifically to enchance spine fusion in animal models are reviewed. Current main areas of research, including the elucidation of gene expression profiles during bone formation and the development of new gene transfer vehicles, promises the development of clinically applicable techniques in the near future.