Comment by tremon
1 day ago
For every cell mechanism that's being abused by cancer to fuel its growth, there are other cells in the body for which that mechanism is crucial for their correct functioning. Wholesale editing every cell in the body mostly guarantees that the patient does not die of cancer -- the cure will kill them before the disease does.
Only cells that have the necessary signature get the edit
So the exact opposite of what you said initially.
No, a mechanism that acts on every cell on the body doesn’t mean it changes every cell. The primary problem with gene replacement therapies is they cannot be effectively delivered to every cell. If we can find a way to deliver to every cell than just the ones with the right signature will get the changes.