GENE THERAPY – A REVIEW

*Ayush Garg, Salil Sanghvi, Krunal Trivedi and Hitesh Chaturvedi 

ABSTRACT

The ability to transfect genes into cells and to cause their expression is leading to the practical emergence of human gene therapy, wherein, functionally active genes are putatively inserted into the (somatic) cells of a person requiring the expression of a given protein. A novel adaptation of gene therapy is the transfection of cells with nonresident genes in order to accomplish in situ expression of a pharmacologically beneficial protein or create a site for further therapeutic intervention. In other words, genes would act like drugs, generating a product with a specific pharmacological effect. In simple terms, gene therapy involves insertion of genetic material into a patient’s cells to make them capable of producing therapeutic protein.

Keywords: Gene, germ line, somatic, retrovirus, vectors.