Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Gene Editing

...inside the living body. It's being attempted for the first time. The subject suffers from Hunter's disease - which is incurable and, in the US, costs a ridiculous $100,000 to $400,000 a year to treat (I won't start on our health care system).

They're using a viral vector - a domesticated virus - to insert a good gene into his liver, allowing him to make the enzyme he hasn't been able to make. If the trial is a success it will give hope to the parents of children with the disease, who seldom survive to adulthood.

Let's keep our fingers crossed.

No comments:

Post a Comment