StemCell Therapy

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (NEWSPLEX) -- Researchers at the University of Virginia have come up with a safe way to successfully "shut off" genes, potentially leading to a cure for genetic diseases.

Gene editing, using the CRISPR system, has been around for several years, but cells would often be damaged in the editing process.

However, a team at UVA has figured out a way to silence genes without harming surrounding cells, opening the door to new methods of treating and preventing diseases that are written in an individual's genome.

The team says the discovery will eventually help doctors turn genes off that are making patients sick, while also enabling scientists to more directly research individual genes.

"For a lot of these genes in our body, we still don't know their functions," said Mazhar Adli, assistant professor in UVAs Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics. "So now we are able to go and inactivate each gene and to study what the gene is doing."

Cystic fibrosis and hemophilia are among the diseases doctors could possibly treat with the gene-silencing method.

See original here:
UVA scientists successfully, safely "shut off" genes - The Charlottesville Newsplex

This entry was posted on July 12, 2017 at 4:52 pm and is filed under Molecular Genetics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |