Rylae-Ann Poulin was among the first to receive gene therapy directly to her brain to treat a rare genetic disease, an approach scientists say holds promise for treating a host of brain disorders. Reporting by laura_ungar and video by shelby_lum:
Challenges remain, especially with diseases caused by more than a single gene. But scientists say the evidence supporting this approach is mounting — opening a new frontier in the fight against disorders afflicting our most complex and mysterious organ.
Though they were nervous about the prospect of brain surgery, they realized she likely wouldn’t live past 4 years old without it. Bankiewicz said all 40 or so patients in his team’s NIH-funded study also saw significant improvements. His surgical approach is more involved and delivers the treatment to a different part of the brain. It targets relevant circuits in the brain, Bankiewicz said, like planting seeds that cause ivy to sprout and spread.
For example, the timing of treatment is an issue. Generally, earlier in life is better because diseases can cause a cascade of problems over the years. Also, disorders with more complex causes — like Alzheimer’s — are tougher to treat with gene therapy.Ryan Gilbert, a biomedical engineer at New York’s Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, said there can also be issues with the gene-carrying virus, which can potentially insert genetic information in an indiscriminate way.
But drugmakers say they are committed to ensuring people get the treatments they need. And researchers are confident they can overcome the remaining scientific obstacles to this approach.
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