Treating diseases with epigenetic therapy

As we have seen, many diseases, such as cancer, are triggered by epigenetic changes that cause certain genes to be activated or silenced. It is therefore logical to try to use epigenetic treatments to counteract these changes. These treatments use drugs to inhibit certain enzymes involved in either histone acetylation or DNA methylation. For example, drugs that inhibit enzymes that cause DNA methylation can reactivate genes that have been silenced. Epigenetic therapy must be specifically targeted on cancer cells. If the drugs were to affect normal cells they could activate gene transcription and make them cancerous, so causing the very disorder they were designed to cure. Another use of epigenetics in disease treatment has been the development of diagnostic tests that help to detect the early stages of diseases such as cancer, brain disorders and arthritis. These tests call identily the level of DNA methylation and histone acetylation at al early stage of disease. This allows those with these diseases to seek early treatment and so have a better chance of cure.