Medically Correcting our Faulty DNA to Prevent Disease

[Donald G]

In 1990 Ashi DeSilva had her own white blood cells removed from her body, had them genetically altered and returned to her bloodstream in an effort to save her life by inducing her own body to start producing healthy "T" cells. Four months later Cynthia Cutshall, another ADA-deficient child became the second child to have her own genes genetically treated and put back into her body with the intent of curing a fatal illness.

The disease both children had was the immune cell deficiency that resulted in a disease made famous by "the boy in the bubble". Without treatment almost all such children died by the age of two years of age because their defective immune system was not able to fight outside invaders.

Given the huge advances that have been made in the field of genetics and immunology I wonder what other diseases are now being treated and defeated as a result of that technological approach? These days it is hard to determine the extent of many of the advances that have been discovered and are being used to prolong healthy life.

Does anyone know of others?

[Donald G]

In 1993 a Dr Culver in Iowa developed a promising genetic treatment for uniformly lethal brain tumors. (quote) Dr Culver discovered it was possible to inject the mouse cells that made a retrovirus carrying the herpes thymidine kinase (TK) directly into a patient's brain. The retrovirus vectors then inserted the TK gene into the tumor cells making the cancer susceptible to the anti-herpes drug gancyclovir. (unquote) Animal studies showed convincingly that it was possible to kill brain tumors with this treatment.

Human tests showed that five of the first eight patients were helped by the treatment.

Unfortunately nothing further was given in the article.