Nanotechnology

• Scientists work with biodegradable polymers that allow the transport of genetic material. The nanoparticle is formed by mixing the polymers with a gene that forms a poisonous residue from the diphtheria germ. This poison is harmful to ovarian cancer cells. The cells eat the nanoparticle, and the DNA is released where it needs to go, altering the cancer by reducing or killing it.
  
  

Viral Gene Therapy

• In gene therapy, a normal gene replaces a damaged one. This normal gene can locate the cancer cell in the ovaries. Cells with good genes are grown in a lab and then injected into a person to grow and multiply. A virus is used to transport the good gene into the ovarian cancer cell. These viruses have been changed to not create infection. An anti-virus drug is given to kill cells that might be infected but won't kill the cells that are normal.
  
  

Ethics of Gene Therapy

• Gene therapy looks promising in treating disease, but there are still concerns as to how these genes work and what their long-term effects are. Usually, patients participating in new therapies haven't responded to more conventional therapies, so a new therapy is often their only hope. Another concern lies in the possibility of manipulation of genes to control traits in future generations---traits that aren't health related. For example, using controlled methods to create a specific look or character. The controversy continues, yet the field of gene therapy continues to be a revolutionary aspect of medicine.
  
  

Where to Locate Gene Therapy

• There are many places that provide gene therapy in the U.S.: Northwestern University, University of Alabama Birmingham, University of North Carolina Gene Therapy Dept. and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, to name a few. A doctor or oncologist will often provide information on a center that is most suited for a specific form of cancer.
  
  

Problems

• Whenever a foreign body invades human tissue, the immune system must work to attack the invader. In the case of gene therapy, the immune system is stimulated and the effects of the therapy could possibly be reduced. The repeated invasion could cause the therapy to fail because the immune system has already responded to it before. Another problem might be if DNA is put in the wrong place, such as in a tumor suppressor gene, it could actually cause a tumor to be created.