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Article: Gene therapy: science fiction or reality?
- Article from:
- Southern Medical Journal
- Article date:
- January 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Southern Medical Association. 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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Gene therapy has been proposed to be the modern medical cure for multiple diseases such as cancer, genetic disorders, as well as a potentially potent mediator of behavior. In the early days of gene therapy, the primary purpose was to develop therapies that would cure monogenetic diseases. However, with rapid advances in DNA technologies, specifically in the discovery of genes associated with disease pathologies, gene therapy strategies have expanded to include more complex diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders. Furthermore, due to new developments in gene therapy vehicles, novel gene therapy strategies have begun to encompass not only ...