People with Fanconi anemia (FA) face a high risk of oral cancer. This project asks whether gene therapy delivered to the tissue lining the mouth could someday reduce that risk by helping cells repair DNA more effectively.

FCF funding supports experiments in FA mouse models to study how the gene therapy is delivered and whether it has the intended effect. The work is preclinical, and further testing and analysis are needed before researchers can determine whether it is safe or appropriate to study in people. If the results are promising, it could help establish whether oral gene therapy is a potential path toward cancer prevention for people with FA.