Gene therapy

Gene therapy: The treatment of disease by replacing, altering, or supplementing a gene that is absent or abnormal and is responsible for the disease. In studies of gene therapy for cancer, researchers are trying to bolster the body's natural capacity to combat cancer and make the tumor more sensitive to other kinds of therapy. Gene therapy, still in its early stages, holds great promise for the treatment of many diseases. The first gene therapy was done successfully in humans in 1990 by W, French Anderson, R. Michael Blaese and Kenneth W. Culver who infused genetically engineered blood cells to repair an immune deficiency disorder: adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency.