Erasing Disease: How Gene Editing Is Changing Genetic Therapies

By Anna Quinlan

We are all born with disease hardwired into our genome. A few mutations paired with lifestyle choices or other environmental factors can lead to asthma, Alzheimer’s, and thousands of other conditions. One out of every 100 of us suffers from a disease caused by a mutation in just a single gene. A particular group of drugs, antisense and gene therapies, tackle these disorders at their origin, the faulty gene or its expression. But even the most successful of these genetic therapies provide only a treatment. A new approach, gene editing, now promises more – a cure. Using tools like zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), TALENs, and CRISPR scientists and doctors are erasing disease-causing mutations, providing a permanent cure and changing the way we approach and think about healthcare.