Gene Therapy Leaves a Vicious Cycle

Gene Therapy Leaves a Vicious Cycle

Reena Goswami1, Gayatri Subramanian2, Liliya Silayeva1, Isabelle Newkirk1, Deborah Doctor1, Karan Chawla2, Saurabh Chattopadhyay2, Dhyan Chandra3, Nageswararao Chilukuri1 and Venkaiah Betapudi1,4*

1Neuroscience Branch, Research Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, Aberdeen, MD, United States
2Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, United States
3Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, United States
4Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States

The human genetic code encrypted in thousands of genes holds the secret for synthesis of proteins that drive all biological processes necessary for normal life and death. Though the genetic ciphering remains unchanged through generations, some genes get disrupted, deleted and or mutated, manifesting diseases, and or disorders. Current treatment options—chemotherapy, protein therapy, radiotherapy, and surgery available for no more than 500 diseases—neither cure nor prevent genetic errors but often cause many side effects. However, gene therapy, colloquially called “living drug,” provides a one-time treatment option by rewriting or fixing errors in the natural genetic ciphering. Since gene therapy is predominantly a viral vector-based medicine, it has met with a fair...

Source: Frontiers in Oncology - April 23, 2019 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research