Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Risks
By Mayo Clinic staffGene therapy has some potential risks. A gene can't easily be inserted directly into your cells. Rather, it usually has to be delivered using a carrier, called a vector. The most common gene therapy vectors are viruses because they can recognize certain cells and carry genetic material into the cells' genes.
Researchers remove the original disease-causing genes from the viruses, replacing them with the genes needed to stop disease.
This technique presents the following risks:
- Unwanted immune system reaction. Your body's immune system may see the newly introduced viruses as intruders and attack them. This may cause inflammation and, in severe cases, organ failure.
- Targeting the wrong cells. Because viruses can affect more than one type of cells, it's possible that the altered viruses may infect additional cells — not just the targeted cells containing mutated genes. If this happens, healthy cells may be damaged, causing other illness or diseases, including cancer.
- Infection caused by the virus. It's possible that once introduced into the body, the viruses may recover their original ability to cause disease.
- Possibility of causing a tumor. If the new genes get inserted in the wrong spot in your DNA, there is a chance that the insertion might lead to tumor formation. This has occurred occasionally in some clinical trials.
The gene therapy clinical trials under way in the U.S. are closely monitored by the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health to ensure the safety of those who participate in the studies.
- Gene therapy. Genetics Home Reference. http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/therapy. Accessed Nov. 12, 2012.
- Gene therapy for cancer: Questions and answers. National Cancer Institute. http://cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/gene. Accessed Nov. 12, 2012.
- Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/191371208-2/0/1492/0.html#. Accessed Nov. 12, 2012.
- FAQs. American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy. http://www.asgct.org/general-public/educational-resources/faqs. Accessed Nov. 12, 2012.
- Rivat C, et al. Gene therapy for primary immunodeficiencies. Human Gene therapy. 2012;23:668.
- Garg S. Retinitis pigmentosa: Treatment. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Dec. 11, 2012.
- Kalos M, et al. T cells with chimeric antigen receptors have potent antitumor effects and can establish memory in patients with advanced leukemia. Science Translational Medicine. 2011;3:1.
- Russell SJ (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 11, 2012.
Find Mayo Clinic on