Abstract
β-thalassemia is caused by mutations in the β-globin gene which diminishes or abolishes β-globin chain production. This reduction causes an imbalance of the α/β-globin chain ratio and contributes to the pathogenesis of the disease. Several approaches to reduce the imbalance of the α/β ratio using several nucleic acid-based technologies such as RNAi, lentiviral mediated gene therapy, splice switching oligonucleotides (SSOs) and gene editing technology have been investigated extensively. These approaches aim to reduce excess free α-globin, either by reducing the α-globin chain, restoring β-globin expression and reactivating γ-globin expression, leading a reduced disease severity, treatment necessity, treatment interval, and disease complications, thus, increasing the life quality of the patients and alleviating economic burden. Therefore, nucleic acid-based therapy might become a potential targeted therapy for β-thalassemia.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 95-105 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Biologics: Targets and Therapy |
Volume | 14 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2020 |
Keywords
- Gene editing
- Good health and well-being
- RNAi
- Splice switching oligonucleotides
- Targeted therapy