Gene Therapy
Gene therapy is intended to work in two ways. Path one is identify malfunctioning genes and repair them. The second path again seeks out malfunctioning genes but this time the objective is to have them destroyed. Both scenarios are still at an experimental level.
In the first path the malfunctioning gene/s in the genome will be substituted, deleted, inserted or modifed.
The replacement gene is delivered by a carrier (or vector). Vectors are usually viruses because they can not only enter a cell but can identify and enter specific cells.
Before entering the body the vectors are altered so that they only leave the healthy gene in the malfnctioning cell and don't create a new virus.
The latter gene therapy method aims to find 'suicide genes' that would attack cancerous cells while leaving healthy ones intact. The 'suicide gene' would make cells produce elevated protein levels. The higher levls of protein would then attract and activate an 'inactive' drug that would destroy the malfunctioning cell.
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