Living on Earth: Part 5: Gene therapy

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Part 5: Gene therapy

Published: August 11, 2012

Gene therapy directly changes genes within the body to help heal illness. Gene therapy is used in cells that are not involved in reproduction, so any changes are to the individual, not to future generations. It has been heralded as the cure-all for everything from cancer to heart failure to baldness. Initial gene therapy trials were not promising, but there have been some recent breakthroughs that have made scientists optimistic about the future of this technology. There are, however, many concerns. One is that genes can migrate inside the body. Another safety concern is that the viruses used to get the genes inside the body could join up with other virus DNA and become new diseases. And then there's the famous case of the boy who had an allergic reaction to a gene therapy virus and died after taking part in research at the University of Pennsylvania.

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