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Gene Therapy: Lou Gehrig's Disease

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Gene therapy is form of treatment using other genes to prevent disease. This can be achieved by replacing a mutated gene with a healthy copy, inactivating a gene that does not work properly, or introducing a new one to help the body fight. In addition to these techniques, viruses can be used in gene therapy not only to be modified so that that they cannot cause disease when used in people but also deliver a new gene by infecting the cell. For instance, retroviruses are used to integrate their genetic material with that of the new gene into the chromosomes of a human. ALS (amyotrophic sclerosis) also known as Lou Gehrig's disease is a disorder that gene therapy can be used to treat. In this condition, the nerves within the brain and spinal cord

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