Biosafety of Herpesvirus Vectors

Herpesviruses are large DNA viruses, which possess a number of advantages as gene delivery vectors. These relate to an ability to package large DNA insertions and establish lifelong latent infections in which the viral genome exists as a stable episome in the nucleus. For gene therapy to become a potential future treatment option, biosafe therapeutically efficient gene transfer is a central, but more and more stringent requirement. This review highlights the progress in development of herpesvirus based vectors, describes their properties as wall as discusses the biosafety concerns that are associated with their use in gene therapy. Thought was also given to biosafety issues pertaining to design and production of herpesvirus vector systems in therapeutic gene delivery.