Single dose gene therapy for cocaine addiction

In an article titled “Systemic Safety of a Recombinant AAV8 Vector for Human Cocaine Hydrolase Gene Therapy: A Good Laboratory Practice Preclinical Study in Mice,” published last December in Human Gene Therapy, Mayo clinic researchers reported that one dose of a gene which encodes an enzyme (cocaine hydrolase) can metabolize cocaine into a harmless substance in mice experiments.  They used an adeno-associated viral vector for delivery to the liver, and the mice showed no adverse effects.  MORE

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