Advances in genetics, molecular biology and gene delivery technologies in recent years have led to new gene therapy strategies for treatment of a variety of diseases. This book gives a comprehensive overview of the present status and future directions of gene delivery systems and therapeutic strategies for the clinical application of gene therapy in cancer, cardiovascular and central nervous system diseases. Stem cell-based therapies and gene expression regulatory systems as novel platform technologies for various gene therapy applications are also discussed. Leading experts give excellent overviews of basic molecular aspects and clinical applications in this new emerging biomedical field.

1 The Future of Gene Therapy.- I Cardiovascular Diseases.- 2 Angiogenesis Clinical Trials.- 3 AAV Vectors, the Future Workhorse of Human Gene Therapy.- 4 Nonviral Vectors for Cardiovascular Gene Delivery.- 5 Gene Therapy for Coronary Artery Disease: Preclinical and Initial Clinical Results with Intracoronary Administration of Ad5FGF-4.- II Cancer.- 6 Cancer Gene Therapy: Present Status and Future Directions.- 7 Oncolytic Virotherapy as a Novel Treatment Platform for Cancer.- 8 Adenovirus Retargeting and Systemic Delivery.- III CNS Diseases.- 9 CNS Diseases Amenable to Gene Therapy.- 10 Molecular Therapies for the Nervous System and Skeletal Muscle.- 11 Lentivirus: A Vector for Nervous System Applications.- IV Novel Technologies.- 12 Endothelial Progenitor Cells for Neovascularization.- 13 Therapeutic Aptamers and Antidotes: A Novel Approach to Safer Drug Design.- 14 Plasmid-Based Gene Transfer and Antiprogestin-Controllable Transgene Expression.- Previous Volumes Published in This Series.