Q: What’s the difference between cell therapy and gene therapy?
It’s one of the most common questions I get, and the distinction is important.
Cell therapy uses living cells as the treatment. These cells may be collected from the patient or a donor, modified or expanded in a laboratory, and then infused back into the patient to fight disease or repair damaged tissue. While gene therapy focuses on changing the genetic instructions inside a patient’s cells. It works by adding, replacing, silencing, or editing genes to treat the underlying cause of a disease.
A simple way to think about it:
Cell therapy = replacing or enhancing the “workers.”
Gene therapy = changing the “instructions” the workers follow.
Some of today’s most advanced treatments actually combine both approaches. For example, CAR-T therapy involves collecting a patient’s T cells (cell therapy), genetically engineering them to recognize cancer cells (gene therapy), and then returning them to the patient.
As these technologies continue to evolve, they’re reshaping how we think about treating cancer, inherited disorders, autoimmune diseases, and many other conditions.
Have a question about cell and gene therapy?
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