Genetic Code Edited Inside the Adult Body for the First Time
For the first time, US scientists attempted to edit a person’s genetic code inside the individual’s body in hopes of permanently curing a disease, the Associated Press reported.
Forty-four-year-old Brian Madeux suffers from Hunter syndrome, an inherited metabolic desease. Earlier this month the scientists “injected him with billions of copies of a corrective gene and genetic tool for swapping his DNA around,” IFLScience.com reported. Unfortunately, the team won’t know for sure whether the procedure worked of not for approximately three months.
“I’m nervous and excited,” Madeux told the Associated Press. “I’ve been waiting for this my whole life, something that can potentially cure me.”
If this approach is effective, Alfredo Capineti writes, “it could have a major impact on the field of gene therapy.”
