Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
Posted: May 31, 2009 7:59 p.m. PDT
Summary:
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have made progress toward using stem cells and gene therapy to treat a genetic disease:
"Scientists at La Jolla's Salk Institute for Biological Studies say they've taken a significant step toward using stem cells and gene therapy to cure a genetic disease. The team led by Salk Professor Juan-Carlos Izpisua Belmonte corrected a defective gene in cells taken from patients with Fanconi anemia, a disease that can lead to bone marrow failure, leukemia and other cancers. Their work, published online Sunday by the journal Nature, offers the first proof that the technology can work in human cells – though more work remains for it to be tried in patients."
