National Toxicology Program

DNA-based therapies are being developed for the treatment of a wide range of human diseases. However, by their very nature they pose a risk of interacting with the host genome or disrupting normal cellular processes in unexpected and unpredictable ways with potentially adverse consequences. Presently the NTP is collaborating with the FDA and sister NIH institutes to study the safety of DNA-based products and to address life-long risks presented by their use, the potential for reproductive toxicities and transmission of altered genetic material to subsequent generations, and the potential for DNA-based products to cause autoimmune disease or immune dysfunction.