Gene therapy comes with the expectation that it will โcureโ an expanding number of genetic disorders. If youโve never wondered โ and even if you have — what that word actually means, four Dutch researchers have a surprise in store.
Theirย analysis, published [Aug. 22, 2024] in Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, delves into how โcureโ is understood in different medical fields. They distinguish multiple โinterpretations,โ depending on the setting and the affected group of people, with perhaps unexpected expectations among patients about what will result from treatment and even, in some cases, if a cure is desirable.
The authors conclude that the term โcureโ should no longer be used in clinical settings. But in two other contexts โ decisions about allocating resources for gene therapy treatments and funding research proposals โ they argue that it is useful but needs to be carefully and modestly defined.
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