Gene Therapy Cures "Bubble Boy"

[goofyfish]

NewScientist.com news service -17:00 03 April 02–

Gene therapy has cured Welsh baby Rhys Evans of the fatal "bubble boy" disease. "His progress seems nothing short of a miracle," says his mother Marie. Another boy treated more recently continues to improve... The treatment, carried out at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, is one of only a handful of successful gene therapy trials in people. It is also only the third trial of gene therapy for severe combined immunodeficiency or SCID. (Full text here)

Although the retrovirus use bothers me a bit, overall the accomplishment is pretty damn cool.

Peace.

 

[John Devers]

Any ideas on how gene theropy works?

Do you or could you drop a pill?

Is something injected into the body?

Does the process attack and change part of our DNA?

 

[Pine_net]

Gene Therapy Information

 

[Brett Bellmore]

Man, that's really got to have Jeremy Rifkin's head spinning like a top! Genetic treatments actually saving lives is his worst nightmare, because he knows people won't reject genetic engineering with the benefits staring them in the face in the form of a cute little kid.