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Guilherme Mazui

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What is the Difference Between Gene Therapy and Immunotherapy?

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Gene therapy and immunotherapy are both treatments for cancer and other diseases, but they represent different approaches to disease therapy. The main differences between the two are as follows:

Gene Therapy:

  1. Focuses on correcting genetic mutations or altering gene expression to treat diseases.
  2. Involves the insertion or modification of a therapeutic gene to correct inappropriate gene products that cause or may cause diseases.
  3. Can be used to introduce genes that help the immune system specifically target cancer cells, such as CAR-T cell therapy, which uses gene therapy to perform immunotherapy.

Immunotherapy:

  1. Aims to boost the immune system's ability to identify and kill cancer cells.
  2. Can be a small molecule or gene therapy, and sometimes gene therapy can be used as an immunotherapy.
  3. Encompasses a broader range of treatments, such as oncolytic immunotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), gene replacement, antisense oligonucleotides, RNA interference (RNAi), and CRISPR-based gene editing.

In some cases, gene therapy can be used as a way to deliver immune therapy, blurring the lines between the two therapies. Both gene therapy and immunotherapy can be combined with other treatments, such as chemotherapy or hormonal therapy, to enhance their effectiveness.

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  • What is the Difference Between Gene Therapy and Immunotherapy?
  • Comparative Table: Gene Therapy vs Immunotherapy

    • Comparative Table: Gene Therapy vs Immunotherapy

    Here is a table illustrating the differences between gene therapy and immunotherapy:

    Feature Gene Therapy Immunotherapy
    Definition A treatment method that modifies the genetic material of cells to treat diseases, by replacing or inactivating faulty genes. A treatment strategy that aims to improve the ability of the body's immune system to recognize and fight diseases, such as cancer.
    Focus Modifying genes to treat genetic disorders, such as severe combined immunodeficiency, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, spinal muscular atrophy, and rare inherited forms of blindness. Enhancing the immune system's natural defenses to recognize and fight tumor cells.
    Approach Replacing mutated genes with normal genes or inactivating mutated genes that are functioning. Using manufactured, purified, or artificially modified immune cells or molecules to treat diseases.
    Examples Gene therapy has been used to treat inherited disorders like severe combined immunodeficiency, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, spinal muscular atrophy, and rare inherited forms of blindness. Immunotherapy has been used to treat cancer by either directly attacking tumor cells or activating the immune system through cell therapies, stimulatory agonists, or immune-checkpoint blockade.

    While both gene therapy and immunotherapy are types of treatment for cancer and other diseases, they represent different approaches to disease therapy. They also have some points of intersection, as gene therapy can be used to modify tumor gene expression for more effective immunotherapy.

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    Guilherme Mazui

    Guilherme Mazui is graduated in journalism from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and a master's degree in Communication from the University of São Paulo (USP). In addition, he has experience in advertising writing and has worked as a content editor in several companies.