Gene Therapy

Gene therapy attempts to treat mesothelioma by correcting the illness at the DNA level. This new method aims to understand why proteins within cells make them resistant to cancer while others do not. Years ago, scientists believed that genes could not be affected after birth. However, it is now known that many factors, such as smoking, can affect our DNA.

Mesothelioma is a multifactorial disease, which means many factors contribute to its development. While the primary cause of mesothelioma is asbestos, inherited gene mutations may also be a variable. Gene therapy aims to replace cancer-causing genes with those programmed to die when exposed to cancerous growths. These “suicide genes” may be able to stop the replication of cancerous cells. Tests have been conducted to replace cancer-causing genes with those vulnerable to specific drugs, from which cancer can possibly be eliminated. In other words, mesothelioma patients could receive a “healthy virus” that alters the genetic structure of “bad” cells. 

Two types of gene therapy exist. Replacement gene therapy substitutes a defective gene with a normal copy. Knockout gene therapy targets the abnormal genes and makes them inactive.

Gene therapy is still being researched and carries possible risks. However, because the survival rates of mesothelioma patients are dismal, some choose to participate in gene therapy clinical trials as the possibility of survival may outweigh any risks.