report

Gene Regulatory Networks as a Preface to Gene Therapy

During the reproduction of cells, there are many “checkpoints” that control the phases of the reproduction process. These signals, coordinated by the states of genes, not only control the phases of the cell cycle, but also the rate of cycles performed in the body. Cells that do not heed the regular signals that regulate the cell cycle create cancerous growths or other forms of genetic diseases.

Cancer is the single most damaging and widespread class of disorder, studied and treated for centuries. Due to environmental factors and genetic abnormalities, cancer has become a leading cause of death in society. Although much effort and funding have been spent for the past couple of decades in discovering a “cure” for cancers, there has yet to be a definite understanding of the cancer mechanism at the molecular level, which is believed to be rooted in the dysfunctions in cell cycles.  Thus, there must be investigation of the underlying gene regulations where cancer occurs before an effective treatment is possible.

Forthcoming treatments for cancer and genetic diseases pertain to the most up to date genetic therapy processes. Broadly defined as revising genes in one’s cells to treat hereditary diseases, gene therapy is widely sought by many individuals who wish to find a definite cure for such diseases. Even though gene therapy provides successful methods in manipulating the genes in a cancer cell, it is still a precarious procedure in its infancy.  The first approved gene therapy procedure was executed in the early 1990’s by cloning functional proteins for people who were unable to produce those  proteins in their body.

There are two broad types of gene therapy: ex vivo and in vivo. Ex vivo is the process of modifying cells outside the host body and then transplanting them back to their original locations. In vivo, on the other hand, is the process in which the abnormal cell is modified inside the body. Gene therapy ex vivo is a more common process because it does not require the highly difficult recombination of DNA sequences.

By pinpointing the gene expressions that  need to be altered, methods including selective reverse mutation, which returns the abnormal cell to its normal state, and inhibition, which alters the effects of a growth or death regulator gene, can transform a defective network back to a functioning one. In addition, gene insertion and replacement recombination are methods which are currently available.