For the first time, cancers were treated by gene therapy orally in mice. By preventing the development of cancer, such a technique could be used in humans to prevent precancerous lesions of the lung, esophagus, head and neck. In many cancers, it is known that some genes are altered. The researchers’ goal has been to check whether the correction of this defect by gene therapy could reduce the risk of tumor in the souris.Le gene involved in cancer of the esophagus, stomach or lungs was deteriorated experimentally in mice, so they are capable of developing the disease. They were then subjected for four weeks has a carcinogenic product. After this first phase, only some of them have received a gene therapy. Thus, all those who have not been treated suffered from tumors, whereas only 50% of mice having received the gene treating this disease have developed. .
This result is very encouraging the first in a long series of studies, because before adapting this gene therapy to man, it is necessary to develop different techniques in order to send a gene very precisely in dealing various parts of the body such as lungs, stomach, kidneys.


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