The news. Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of the first gene therapy administered directly to the body, as well as the first designed to be used repeatedly on the same person.
How does it work? The treatment introduces the missing gene into the skin cells so they can produce collagen. It is already helping people with dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, a rare inherited disease that makes the skin incredibly fragile. A topical cream helps treat the disease’s chronic, blistering sores, while an eye drop version can prevent scar tissue from building up in their eyeballs and improve vision.
Next steps. Gene therapy is unusual because it does not involve injecting or modifying immune cells outside the body. It suggests that similar approaches may have profitable applications. The biggest question right now, though, is how much it will cost the families who need it. Read the whole story.
– Antonio Regalado
How to preserve your digital memories
– Tate Ryan-Mosley
My email archive contains precious messages that mark important days in my life; an acceptance letter to grad school, travel plans with my sisters, a job offer at Tech Review, an invitation to connect with a close friend I’d lost touch with. .
I’ve never given much thought to what to do with all these digital records. I kind of had the expectation that I would always be able to access and manage my emails on my terms. And while I don’t currently save particularly important ones, that should probably change.