Infectious Diseases, Prevention and Control

Gene Therapy for the Treatment of Infectious Diseases

Gene therapy confines considerable potential for the treatment of both infectious diseases and hereditary genetic disorders. Human gene therapy is defined as the presentation of new genetic material into the cells of a person with the purpose of generating a therapeutic advantage for the patient. Gene therapy is being researched as an alternative for a number of infectious diseases that does not agree to the standard clinical administration. Gene therapy for infectious diseases needs the introduction of genes outlined to particularly repress or block the gene expression or function of gene products, to such an extent that the replication of the infectious agent is blocked or constrained. In addition to this intracellular interference, gene therapy may be used to mediate in the spread of the infectious agent at the extracellular level. This could be accomplished by sustained expression in vivo of a discharged inhibitory protein or stimulation of a specific immune response.