Final answer:
Gene therapy is a genetic engineering technique used to cure diseases caused by genetic mutations. It involves introducing a non-mutated gene into the genome of diseased cells to replace the mutated gene. Targeted therapies are an example of gene therapy being used to treat cancer.
Step-by-step explanation:
Gene therapy is a genetic engineering technique used to cure diseases caused by genetic mutations. It involves introducing a non-mutated gene into the genome of diseased cells to replace the mutated gene. This is usually done using a vector, such as a virus, to deliver the non-mutated gene into the targeted cells.
One example of gene therapy being used to treat cancer is the development of targeted therapies. These therapies exploit the overexpression of specific proteins or the mutation of genes to develop medications that specifically target diseased cells without harming healthy cells.
While gene therapy is still in experimental stages, it has shown success in treating certain diseases caused by genetic mutations and may become more widely used in the future.