Gene Delivery

At the forefront of medicine, Gene Therapy brings the latest research into genetic and cell-based technologies to treat disease.This technique may allow treating a disorder by inserting a gene into a patient’s cells instead of using drugs or surgery. Researchers are testing several approaches to gene therapy, including: replacing a mutated gene that causes disease with a healthy copy of the gene; inactivating, or “knocking out,” a mutated gene that is functioning improperly. Introducing a new gene into the body to help fight a disease. Although gene therapy is a promising treatment option for a number of diseases (including inherited disorders, some types of cancer, and certain viral infections), the technique remains risky because of its short life nature, problems with viral vectors and high cost. Nanotechnology along-with applied genetics and molecular biology has the puissance to overcome the limitations with reliable and efficient results. Nanotechnology-Gene therapy is currently being tested for the treatment of diseases that have no other cures.

Figure: The images depict the 10 days old carcinoma cells: images on left show cells grown without gene delivery while on right, cells show phenotypic difference which is result of gene delivery.