‘Jumping Genes’ Could Make For Safer Gene Delivery System

To move a gene from point A to point B, scientists and gene therapists have two proven options: a virus, which can effectively ferry genes of interest into cells, and a plasmid, an engineered loop of DNA that can do the same thing, albeit usually only on a short term basis. The catch is that viruses can be infectious and some types of viruses occasionally land in a target genome near an oncogene and raise the risk of cancer. [click link for full article]

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Filed under: Biology on September 28th, 2007