Gene Therapy Might Be The Best And Only Chance At Curing Brain Diseases
Dominic Gessler lifts two squirming mice from their cages. Sherri Epstein flinches, but Gessler coaxes her to hold out her hands. He places the small animals in her palms, and they skitter in tiny circles, tickling her skin. “Now,” says Gessler. “Which one used to have Canavan disease?”
A few miles away, at Epstein’s home in Worcester, Massachusetts, a young woman lies in bed, her thin limbs bent and still, her curly red hair splayed across a pillow. This is Rachel, Epstein’s 17-year-old daughter, born with Canavan disease—a debilitating, fatal brain disorder.
A few miles away, at Epstein’s home in Worcester, Massachusetts, a young woman lies in bed, her thin limbs bent and still, her curly red hair splayed across a pillow. This is Rachel, Epstein’s 17-year-old daughter, born with Canavan disease—a debilitating, fatal brain disorder.