Cell Therapy vs Gene Therapy: What's the Difference?

Cell therapy is the transfer of intact, live cells into a patient to help replace or repair damaged cells caused by disease. These cells can be modified or cultivated outside the body and can come from either the patient themselves (autologous cells) or a donor (allogeneic cells).  Common cells used in cell therapy include stem cells, immune cells and progenitor cells.

By replacing and repairing lost and dysfunctional cells, cell therapy stimulates the body’s own repair mechanisms and enhances immune responses. This can be particularly useful when used to treat degenerative conditions and certain cancers like leukaemia.

Gene therapy focuses on the genetic basis of diseases and involves transferring genetic material into a patient’s cells, either inside (in vivo) or outside (ex vivo) the body. This genetic material can be used to replace, inactivate, or introduce new genes. By correcting genetic defects, gene therapy aims to produce a therapeutic effect at the molecular level, leading to long-lasting changes in how cells function.

Gene therapy is particularly relevant in the treatment of inherited conditions like cystic fibrosis and haemophilia alongside some cancers and viral infections. However, almost every gene in the human genome can be targeted, so the potential for new therapies is immense.

While both therapies aim to improve patient outcomes through cellular and molecular interventions, they differ in both their approach and execution.

• Cell therapy concentrates on replacing and repairing cells, whereas gene therapy targets the genetic material within those cells.
  
  
• Cell therapy often involves direct cellular administration, whereas gene therapy uses vectors (like viruses) to deliver genetic material into the cells.
  
  
• Although the diseases targeted by each therapy can overlap, gene therapy is often used for genetic disorders, whereas cell therapy mainly focuses on regenerative medicine and oncology.

Despite their differences, cell and gene therapy are complementary techniques that are often used together for the treatment of many diseases. For example, cell-based gene therapy involves cells being removed from the patient, altered using gene therapy and then implanted back into the patient’s body.

So, although different in their mechanisms, cell and gene therapy are united in their aims and applications in therapeutics. Thanks to continuous advancements across the board in these fields, cell and gene therapy are quickly becoming two of the most influential tools in the treatment of age-related and genetic disorders and have the potential to completely transform the way we approach and treat illness.