Development of a new gene transfer therapy using nanobubbles in temporomandibular jyoint

颞下颌关节的慢性炎症改变了骨骼和软骨，给患者带来了长期的疼痛和痉挛。目前只有对症治疗才能治疗这种功能障碍。我们的目标是建立一种长期减轻炎症的方法，通过直接在颞颌关节中传递一种产生炎症减轻蛋白的基因。在这项研究中，我们探讨了治疗性基因应用于颞下颌关节组织的可能性。在这种方法中，基因被放置在一个非常小的纳米泡泡中，然后应用超声波，以便有效地将基因输送到组织中。结果表明，有足够的基因输送用于治疗。我们计划通过在动物身上进行测试来评估该方法的效果。

Chronic inflammation in the temporomandibular joint alters bone and cartilage, which gives patients long term pain and trismus. Only symptomatic treatments are currently available for this dysfunction. We aim to establish a method for long term reduction in inflammation, by directly delivering a gene which produces an inflammation reducing protein in the temporomandibular joint. In this study, we investigated the possibility of a therapeutic gene application for temporomandibular joint tissues. As the method, the gene is placed in a nano-bubble, a very small shell, and then ultrasound is applied in order for efficient gene delivery to the tissues. The results show a sufficient amount of gene delivery for treatment. We plan to evaluate the effect of the method by testing in animals.