Exosomes used for genetic therapy!
New gene therapy 'may target' Alzheimer's
Published Date: 22 March 2011
"Scientists have successfully switched off a gene thought to cause Alzheimer's by using a new way to deliver drugs directly to the brain," reported the Daily Mirror. It said that researchers have used "tiny particles called exosomes, which are released by cells, to administer drugs into the brains of mice". The laboratory study behind these headlines was carried out in mice. The findings are significant, demonstrating that exosomes could be used to carry gene therapy to parti
The study paves the way for future research and the finding will be of great interest to the scientific community. Exosomes appear to be able to deliver specific ‘cargoes’ to brain cells so the technology has a number of potential applications. Howev
er, this is early research and the technology has not been tested in human cells. There is also a range of technical and ethical issues associated with gene therapy in humans.
Where did the story come from?This study was carried out by researchers from the University of Oxford. The work was funded by Muscular Dystrophy Ireland and the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign. The paper was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Nature Biotechnology.
The newspapers have covered the study well, however, some headlines and images may give the false impression that it was in humans or that it will change the way that Alzheimer’s disease is currently treated. This is not the case. This is early research and it has yet to
