Novel/Unconventional Methods for Cancer Treatment (4)

(4) Gene Therapy

Because most cancer cells are mutated from normal cells and stem cells, if we are able to “fix” the problematic gene(s), we may be able to take care of the cancer.  This is exactly the general idea of gene therapy.  In principle, gene therapy is to deliver a specific gene (a normal functional gene) to replace the problematic (mutated) gene, but it is not an easy task at all. 

Generally, in gene therapy, a polymer (referred to as a “vector”) is used to carry a functional gene into the cell to replace a mutated gene.  This special gene delivery can be done directly in patient’s body (in vivo) by direct introducing the desired gene into blood stream.  To deliver a specific gene indirectly, an ex vivo gene therapy is performed by taking bone marrow or blood from a patient, introduce the desired copy of the gene, and then inject back into the patient. 

In a broader sense, gene therapy also includes removing a certain gene that is not desirable and inserting a specific gene to perform a desirable function to treat a specific disease.

Although the concept of gene therapy originated many years ago, it is beginning to become reality only recently.  The first and only such drug is Glybera, approved first in Europe in 2012.  Glybera was approved for lipoprotein lipase deficiency, an inherited rare disease that could cause severe pancreatitis.  Further research of gene therapy is being conducted for different diseases including HIV and cancer.

© Jiajiu Shaw, 2016

All contents posted in this blog are extracted from the book "IS CANCER IN US", available at Amazon.

Disclaimer: This blog is written solely for informational purposes. It does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other medical professional health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Although some commercial products, publications, and services are mentioned in this blog, the author does not endorse any specific products, publications, or services.  None of the contents in this blog represents or warrants that any of the products, publications, or services is appropriate or effective for their intended purposes. Readers shall always seek the advice of their physicians or other medical practitioners with any questions regarding personal health or medical conditions and shall be solely responsible for their own decisions and/or actions.