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New Method to Repair Faulty Genes Stirs Interest in Chimeraplasty Technique
Joan Stephenson, PhD
JAMA. 1999;281:119-121.
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| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
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Scientists have developed a provocative new technique for correcting tiny but potentially devastating errors in mutant genes, an approach they hope will someday provide a strategy for treating at least some genetic disorders.
The approach, known as chimeraplasty or targeted gene correction, is still in its infancy and faces many technical challenges before it is clear whether the method can move from bench to bedside. Moreover, some skeptics say that a number of investigators have had difficulty getting the procedure to work and question whether the approach will be generally applicable to a variety of cell types.
But a growing number of laboratories are beginning to report encouraging results in experimental systems. Some investigators are enthusiastic about the technology because of its potential advantages over more conventional gene therapy approaches, which have largely sought to treat a genetic defect by using viruses or other vectors to introduce . . . [Full Text of this Article]
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