Science
Science has come a long way in understanding the basics of many chronic diseases and in creating new opportunities to heal diseases in the recent decades. Gene therapy is a method to introduce new genetic material (DNA) into body-cells of the patient to compensate for malfunctioning genes or to make a beneficial protein.
A carrier called a vector delivers the gene to the cells. The vector can be injected directly into a specific tissue in the body, where it is taken up by individual cells. The new gene delivered by the vector will then make a functioning protein.
Researchers must overcome many technical challenges before gene therapy is a practical approach to treating disease. It seems that we have now reached the beginning of a new era where gene therapy will move us forward in the treatment of difficult diseases like epilepsy.
