Resistance to Common Germs Poses a Hurdle to New Gene Therapies

Scientific American ---------- A popular method of editing genes in research labs could trigger an immune reaction when used in people, according to a new study, which has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. But it is too soon to know how serious a problem this could pose for gene therapy, which aims to stop diseases caused by defective genes.“The big question will be: What impact does it actually have therapeutically?” says Amy Wagers, a stem cell biologist at Harvard University and the Joslin Diabetes Center, who was not involved in the study. In mice, she says, the gene-editing tool triggers an immune response, but is still safe and effective. No one knows what will happen in people. “It’s something that needs to be investigated,” she says. To get more in depth information click on the picture below to read the article.