Gene therapy

Explain what is meant by gene therapy:

Gene therapy is a technique or correcting defective genes responsible for disease development which involves altering a patient's natural genotype

Gene therapy's purpose is also to kill the cells involved.

There are 2 approaches which include Germ cell therapy of sperm,egg or early embryo , and somatic cell therapy.

The technique of gene therapy is to insert a normal gene into the genome to replace the abnormal disease-causing gene.

This requires a vector to deliver the therapeutic gene into the patient's target cells which could be viral or non-viral method.

Viral delivery system includes use of retrovirus

Non-viral delivery system includes use of electroporation.

Examples if diseases that can be treated using gene therapy inculde severe combined immunodeficiency disease.