Could science use the common cold to cure cystic fibrosis?
In 1989 scientists identified the gene mutation that causes cystic fibrosis (CF), which led to the hope that CF lung disease could be ‘cured’ using gene therapy. The premise of gene therapy is that modified viruses or other gene-based systems could be used to deliver a corrected version of a gene into affected tissues. However, the projected cure has been hampered by the natural ability of the lung to limit the introduction of foreign genes into its cells. Now, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine scientists have found what may be the most efficient way to deliver a corrected gene to lung cells derived from CF patients, renewing hope that gene therapy for CF lung disease could be a successful future treatment. While Cystic Fibrosis is a multiple organ disease, it most devastatingly affects the lung. In people with CF the airways are clogged with mucus that is dehydrated and thicker than normal. The inability to clear mucus from the lung increases the susceptib
