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Article: Gene therapy for cystic fibrosis patients.
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- December 12, 1992
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1992 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Three teams of scientists received approval last week from a national panel of physicians and ethicists to administer gene therapy to a limited number of adults with cystic fibrosis -- the most common lethal hereditary disorder in the United States.
The National Institutes of Health's Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) voted to allow each team to squirt solutions of genetically engineered cold viruses into the nasal passages and lungs of patients. The scientists hope the viruses will ferry corrected copies of the defective gene that causes cystic fibrosis into patients' airways, reducing production of the thick, lung-clogging mucus characteristic of the ...