Advances in Gene Therapy

A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Genomics and Genetic Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 November 2025 | Viewed by 586

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, O’Donnell Brain Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
Interests: gene therapy; rare diseases; viral vectors; neuroscience

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Genetic disorders present mild to fatal consequences to individuals, with limitations imposed beyond the patient to family members and with tremendously high societal costs. Gene therapy represents one of the most promising developments in modern medicine. The rise in new technologies in gene-based medicines is rapidly transforming the medical field from one of diagnosis and supportive care to one of numerous clinical trials and an increasing number of approved treatments.

Gene therapy encompasses all work aimed at editing DNA or altering the transcript or epigenetic profile to incur a therapeutic benefit. These include studies relating to gene augmentation therapy, gene editing, or gene silencing.

For almost five decades, researchers have sought to manipulate the natural infection process of viruses to incorporate exogenous, corrective DNA into host cells. Along the way, this field has expanded to include the direct editing of DNA, RNA silencing, and methylation editing, resulting in an altered epigenetic profile.

As of 2023, approximately 3900 gene therapy clinical trials have been completed. Each year, new therapies are brought onto the market with the potential to save the lives of numerous patients suffering from rare diseases.

We solicit manuscripts relating to gene augmentation, gene editing, gene silencing, and epigenetic manipulation, where the intent is to develop therapy for rare diseases. We are also soliciting manuscripts that seek to enhance the safety profile of gene therapy interventions.

Dr. Ryan Butler
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

  • gene therapy
  • rare diseases
  • viral vectors
  • RNA silencing
  • gene editing
  • methylation editing

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 938 KiB  
Article
Altered Behavior and Neuronal Activity with Paternal Snord116 Deletion
by Daniel S. Scott, Violeta Zaric, Carol A. Tamminga and Ryan K. Butler
Genes 2025, 16(8), 863; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes16080863 - 24 Jul 2025
Viewed by 304
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Prader–Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a neurodevelopmental disease associated with multiple behavioral features, including a prevalence for psychosis. The genetic causes of PWS are well characterized and involve the silencing or deletion of the paternal copy of a region of chromosome 15q11–13. One [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Prader–Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a neurodevelopmental disease associated with multiple behavioral features, including a prevalence for psychosis. The genetic causes of PWS are well characterized and involve the silencing or deletion of the paternal copy of a region of chromosome 15q11–13. One gene within this region, Snord116, a non-coding RNA, has been determined to have a determinant role in the manifestation of PWS. However, it remains unclear as to how the deletion of this allele can affect activity in the brain and influence psychosis-like behaviors. Methods: In this study, we assessed the effects of the microdeletion of the paternal copy of Snord116 on regional neural activity in psychosis-associated brain regions and psychosis-like behaviors in mice. Results: The results suggest that Snord116 deletion causes increased c-Fos expression in the hippocampus and anterior cingulate cortex. Snord116 deletion also results in behavioral phenotypes consistent with psychosis, most notably in stressful paradigms, with deficits in sensorimotor gating and augmented contextual as well as cued fear conditioning. Conclusions: These results implicate the targets of Snord116 in the presentation of a psychosis-like state with regional specificity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Gene Therapy)
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