Although lung transplantation is a viable treatment option for patients with end-stage lung disease, many wait in vain for a replacement organ to become available, partly because most potential donor lungs are not healthy enough for transplantation.
Now a new technique that uses gene therapy to help repair damaged donor lungs previously found unfit for transplant shows promise for addressing the shortage of healthy donor organs.
Friedrich MJ. Gene Therapy Repair of Donor Lungs Improves Outlook for Transplantation. JAMA. 2009;302(23):2530. doi:10.1001/jama.302.23.2530