why is retinal gene therapy important
Why Gene Therapy Is Important. Genes that are flawed and do not work properly can cause disease. Gene therapy is a technique for correcting defective genes responsible for disease development. Researchers may use one of several approaches for correcting faulty genes: 1  A normal gene may be inserted into a nonspecific location within the genome to replace a nonfunctional gene. This approach is most common. 2  An abnormal gene could be swapped for a normal gene through homologous recombination. The abnormal gene could be repaired through selective reverse mutation, which returns the gene to its normal function. The regulation (the degree to which a gene is turned on or off) of a particular gene could be altered.