|
Tuesday, 20 May 2008 |
|
By Alisha Dhamani
Gene therapy is an experimental technique that uses genes to treat or prevent disease. In the future, this technique may allow doctors to treat a disorder by inserting a gene into a patients cells instead of using drugs or surgery. Researchers are testing several approaches to gene therapy, including replacing a mutated gene that causes disease with a healthy copy of the gene, inactivating, or knocking out, a mutated gene that is functioning improperly, and introducing a new gene into the body to help fight a disease.
Although gene therapy is a promising treatment option for a number of diseases (including inherited disorders, some types of cancer, and certain viral infections), the technique remains risky and is still under study to make sure that it will be safe and effective. Gene therapy is currently only being tested for the treatment of diseases that have no other cures.
But gene therapy is not a simple solution - it's not a molecular bandage that will automatically fix a disorder. Although scientists and physicians have made progress in gene therapy research, they have much more work to do before they can realize its full potential. In this |
|
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 20 May 2008 )
|
|
Read more... [(Natural medicine doctors) The New Future Of Gene Therapy]
|