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'Bubble Boy' Cured by Gene Therapy in UK

Posted by timothy on from the heartening-and-lungening dept.

DrKyle writes "Another child with "Bubble Boy" disease aka ADA-SCID (adenosine deaminase deficiency causing severe combined immunodeficiency) has been cured by transforming bone marrow stem cells with the functioning gene. Normally toxic levels of adenosine build up in T-cells killing off those important cells required for a robust immune system. While not the first person cured, another successful case of gene therapy goes a long way in encouraging goverments to continue to fund genetic research."

2 of 56 comments (clear)

  1. Important question by fsck! · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Do people that undergo gene therapy pass the modified genes onto the next generation?

  2. Re:Other trials were shut down (reformatted!) by k98sven · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Apparently, the "harmless virus" used in a French trial ended up causing cancer in two patients. TFA does not seem to mention these other trials.

    Nonsense. How can you say that the virus caused the cancer? Nobody knows what caused the death and cancer related to this.

    Yes the virus is harmless, that doesn't mean to say the treatement is safe. Noone involved in this would say that; it's an experimental form of treatment.