Reverse gene therapy is developed
EVANSTON, Ill., March 18 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have reversed gene therapy procedures to develop an experimental technique for preventing and treating disease linked with genetic defects.
In gene therapy, a working gene is inserted into a cell to replace a faulty or absent gene. But now a team led by Northwestern University Assistant Professor of physics Adilson Motter has developed a counterintuitive approach -- the targeted removal of genes to restore function in cells with genetic defects, such as mutations.
The study grew from Motter's work on the U.S. power grid -- a complex system that has many similarities with biological systems.
After the largest power outage in U.S. history occurred in 2003, experts determined the event could have been reduced or avoided by instigating small intentional blackouts in the system during the initial hours of instability.
"And the same could be valid in biology, where a defective gene may trigger a cascade of 'failures' along the cellular network," said Motter. "Our recent research shows that what's true in power networks is also true in biological networks. Inflicting a small amount of damage can control what otherwise would be much more significant damage."
The study appears online in the journal Molecular Systems Biology.
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