Somatic Gene‑Editing Potential and Engineering Barriers for Chronic Cardiovascular Disease Management

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are major chronic health conditions, and some patients require long-term medication to control disease progression and associated risks. The need for more durable treatment has therefore significantly increased, leading to importance to find a more long-lasting treatment strategy. This paper examines the potential of somatic gene editing in the foreseeable future, while evaluating the engineering challenges and ethical limitations. Current research demonstrates the potential of somatic gene editing in vivo to modify disease-associated genetic alterations, providing evidence that gene editing could contribute to more durable CVD treatment. However, off-target effects remain the main safety issue, as an accidental change to unintended DNA regions may lead to lethal biological consequences. In addition, safely and efficiently delivering editing agents is an engineering challenge, as precision and capacity have to be both guaranteed. Furthermore, there are ethical issues regarding genetic diversity and social inequalities due to a feasibility of low accessibility to gene editing therapy. Overall, somatic gene editing shows considerable potential to shift the management of selected chronic CVDs towards more durable, mechanism-based treatment, but significant engineering, safety and ethical barriers must be addressed before it can become a reliable alternative to long-term medication.