Gene therapy is an experimental method for correcting faulty genes that cause disease to develop. Gene therapy attempts to treat illness by altering a person's gene expression, with the ultimate goal of curing or preventing genetic diseases. Gene therapy aims to solve the problem at its source by inserting the right gene or repairing an existing one.
Genes are the fundamental components of all living species. Genes are in charge of producing proteins that enable cells to work properly. These proteins are also involved in cell division, and cancerous cells make extensive use of them. Gene therapy controls cell division cycles by manipulating the genes of the cells to improve or suppress protein functions. It changes the genetic material of cells, causing them to either return to their original state or to self-destruct.
Gene therapy can be carried out in a variety of ways. The three most popular forms of gene therapy are: 1) replacing a faulty gene with a healthy one, 2) modifying a gene to restore normal function, and 3) controlling the gene's regulation.
Recent studies have come up with many gene therapies to treat cancer disease. They are described below:
Oncolytic virotherapy: a form of gene therapy that targets cancer cells and kills them. A virus is injected into the patient as part of this procedure. The virus's ability to damage normal cells has been reduced, while its desire to infect cancerous cells has increased. After being injected, the virus seeks out cancerous cells, infects them, and kills them.
Apoptosis: by inducing apoptosis, gene therapy may cause cancerous cells to commit suicide. Apoptosis is induced using a variety of gene therapies, including lipid-based nanoparticles and tumor-suppressing genes. Experiments show that after being treated with these therapies, the number of tumor cells decreased by 70 to 80 percent within 48 hours.
Suicide genes: this procedure entails implanting a patient with a gene that has been artificially altered. This gene has been tampered with so that it can detect cancerous cells inside the body. It injects itself into cancerous cells as it comes into contact with them. It self-destructs after being incorporated, causing the cancer cell to die. It's known as a suicide gene because it kills itself to destroy cancer cells.
Gene transfer: instead of destroying all of the cells, a process known as gene transfer allows cancerous cells to return to their original function. A gene is artificially inserted into the patient's genome during gene transfer. These genes have been improved to have special properties that can help with cancer treatment. This approach replaces genes that cause rapid division with genes that allow them to regulate their division.
Nanomagnetic technology: plays a vital role in cancer or tumor treatment. Magnetic forces between tumor cells and monocytes are used in this procedure. A nanomagnet is first implanted in a drug-carrying monocyte. The monocytes are injected into the bloodstream after another nanomagnet is placed next to the tumor. This technique has been very effective in targeting only cancerous cells while preventing normal cells from being harmed due to the presence of magnets, which produce a magnetic field and an enticing force for other magnets.
Microenvironment: a type of gene therapy has been created that can establish a microenvironment around the tumor, preventing the cells from spreading. Since the infected cells can be differentiated from normal cells, this method makes it easier for clinicians to deal with the tumor.
As a result, gene therapy has surpassed chemotherapy as the most successful cancer treatment.