gene therapy

noun

Medicine/Medical.

1. the application of genetic engineering to the transplantation of genes into human cells in order to cure a disease caused by a genetic defect, as a missing enzyme.

gene therapy

noun

1. the replacement or alteration of defective genes in order to prevent the occurrence of such inherited diseases as haemophilia. Effected by genetic engineering techniques, it is still at the experimental stage

gene therapy

1. The treatment of a disorder or disease, especially one caused by the inheritance of a defective gene, by replacing defective genes with healthy ones through genetic engineering.

gene therapy

1. A promising technology that involves replacing a defective gene in the body with a healthy one. This can be done by removing cells from the body, using genetic engineering techniques to change defective sequences in the DNA, and then reinserting the cells. This technique has been carried out successfully, for example, on bone marrow cells, in which defective cells were successfully replaced with healthy, genetically engineered cells. Scientists hope to find an agent, such as a therapeutic virus, that will be able to correct defective DNA in situ. (See cloning vector.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of gene therapy¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Clinical results have been strong in areas investors had written off, such as gene editing and gene therapy, Lyons of Janus Henderson points out.

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They believe this improvement could make gene therapy safer and more practical for treating a wide range of diseases.

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In the 1990s, early gene therapy efforts relied on inserting new genes into cells using modified viruses.

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"The technologies we have now are really a lot better than earlier gene therapy tools, but there's always a chance for these unintended consequences," Chauhan says.

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They are also working on ways to deliver the editors to specific tissues of the body, which is a longstanding challenge in gene therapy.

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