Gene Therapy Appears to Improve Function In Rats With Diabetic Neurogenic Bladders WASHINGTON, DC, Jun 11:- At the annual meeting of the American Society of Gene Therapy here in Washington, DC, investigators reported some hope for diabetics with bladder dysfunction . Dr. William Goins, of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, transfected the gene encoding nerve growth factor (NGF) using a herpes simplex virus vector directly into the bladder wall of diabetic rats. Control diabetic rats received injections of the herpes simplex virus [vector] alone. After ten weeks, the diabetic rats who had received the active gene (1) voided smaller amounts compared to the control animals and (2) had bladders about fifty percent smaller than the controls. In rabbits the given similar therapy NGF continued to be expressed for a year after transfection. News
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