Gene therapies and the defence against disease
Clinical trials are currently investigating how changes to the genome can prevent disease. For example, they are investigating how susceptibility to cervical cancer, which is transmitted by the HP virus, might be reduced. One approach is to modify individual genes that are effective in shaping cell surfaces so that they can no longer form a suitable target for a virus.
Other studies are investigating genetic alterations that should enable the destruction of the genome of invading viruses and could thus prevent the outbreak of infection before it occurs.
Another group of studies is exploring the extent to which the insertion of complementary DNA sequences using editing tools can enable or enhance the formation of T cells as an immune defence against cancer.
Further information:
Albrecht, S. / König, H. / Sauter, A. (2021): Genome Editing am Menschen. Endbericht zum Monitoring. TAB-Arbeitsbericht Nr. 191. Berlin: Büro für Technikfolgen-Abschätzung beim Deutschen Bundestag (TAB): 8, 57. Online Version(German)
Li, G. / Li, X. / Zhuang, S. / Wang, L / Zhu, Y. / Chen, Y. / Sun, W. / Wu, Z. / Zhou, Z. / Chen, J. / Huang, X. / Wang, J. / Li, D. / Li, W. / Wang, H. / Wei, W. (2022): Gene editing and its applications in biomedicine. In: Science China Life Sciences (65), 660–700, 683. Online Version