Cellular and gene therapies are progressing significantly and have a great chance of curing genetic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, and many more similar diseases. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved more than 20 cellular and gene therapies till now. The successful implementation and results of these therapies are generating a demand among the people. Many of these therapies are giving hope to many people by treating critical illnesses that were impossible to cure before. Companies like Allucent are helping to make these therapies better and easier for people around the world to get.
Evolution of Gene Therapy
Cells are the basic unit of any living body and genes are found within the cells that carry genetic information. Any deformities within the gene create genetic disorders among people. Every person receives two copies of a gene, or DNA, from each of their parents. Genetic disease occurs when any DNA is missing, has a duplicate copy, or has a substituted version. These types of changes are called genetic mutations that cause genetic diseases.
Cellular and gene therapiesare the effective treatment procedures for replacing the faulty genes with the corrected version. The viruses are used to transfer the correct version of DNA to human body. Once the virus reaches within the human body, the healthy gene starts replacing the faulty version. Thus, the disease formed due to the genetic deformities gets eliminated.
Advancement of Cell Therapy
Cell therapy is the process of transferring live cells into the patient’s body for curing a disease. The cells may be collected from the patient’s body, known as autologous cells, or from the donor called allogeneic cells. Blood transfusion and stem cell transplant are the common examples of cell therapy. The new revolutionary change introduced in cellular and gene therapiesis that doctors are injecting fat or bone marrow cells to repair the heel joint damage.
Cell-based gene therapy, a new breakthrough
Cell-based gene therapies are advancing rapidly, where doctors remove cells from the patient’s body and in the laboratory, the DNA of the cells is altered using gene therapy. Once the new modified DNA is transferred within the person’s body, the healthy cells fight against the disease and regenerate to form new cells.
Cellular and gene therapies have proved themselves as effective treatment procedures that can cure many genetic diseases. The research and development on these therapies are growing significantly considering their effectiveness. The number of applications for cellular and gene therapiesin hospitals has increased significantly, and more growth is expected in near future.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cell therapy?
Transferring intact and lively cells into the human body to cure the disease is known as cell therapy. Cells are cultivated outside of the body before injecting them into the patient’s body.
What is gene therapy?
Gene therapy includes replacing or introducing healthy gene materials into the cells from outside.These types of therapies are done by altering specific genes of cells and inserting them into the patient’s body.
What are some examples of FDA-approved gene therapy?
Some of the FDA-approved gene therapies are Zolgensma for treating muscular atrophy and Luxturna for improving the vision of patients.
