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The article discusses the persistent effects of childhood malnutrition and potential new treatments to repair the damage. It highlights the prevalence of malnutrition in various countries, including Gaza, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria, due to factors such as conflict, poverty, and natural disasters. The long-term consequences of malnutrition include a weakened immune system, stunted growth, and reduced cognitive capacity. Research suggests that inflammation and damaged metabolism are associated with death in severely malnourished children, and even after recovery, malnourished children may experience lingering inflammation and difficulty absorbing nutrients. Scientists are developing new treatments, such as therapeutic foods and gut microbiome interventions, to address these issues. The article emphasizes the importance of addressing malnutrition globally and its long-term impact on individuals and societies. [Extracted from the article]

In September 2022, for example, the gene therapy company bluebird bio, based in Somerville, Mass., received FDA approval for an ex vivo lentivirus-delivered gene therapy for children with a rare, fatal neurodegenerative disease known as cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy. Since gene therapy was first proposed to treat such genetic diseases in the 1970s, it has had thrilling highs - including the first successful gene therapy, in 1990, in a 4-year-old born with severe combined immunodeficiency, or SCID - and deeply troubling lows. Getting the DNA in All gene therapies for rare diseases that are approved today put a healthy copy of a gene into cells, but the therapies differ in how they get the gene in. Because of similar struggles, many of the first gene therapies to win approval instead harvest a patient's blood-forming stem cells, grow and genetically modify the cells in the lab and then return the modified cells to the patient, usually in the form of a bone marrow transplant. [Extracted from the article]