MONDAY, June 16 (HealthDay News) -- A gene therapy that has extended the lives of dogs with cancer may also be able to help people who have the disease live longer with a better quality of life, the therapy's developers say.

The treatment, given only once, was tested successfully on 55 dogs with cancer and anemia. It increases muscle strength and counteracts common cancer complications such as weakness, weight loss and anemia, principal investigator Dr. Ruxandra Draghia-Akli, a researcher with VGX Pharmaceuticals Inc. in The Woodlands, Texas, said in a prepared statement.

TUESDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) -- A new gene therapy that involves injecting a harmless virus into the brain shows promise as a safe and effective way to slow Batten disease, a rare neurological disorder that usually becomes fatal between the ages of 8 and 12.

Scientists used gene therapy to improve vision in six people with a rare inherited disorder called Leber's congenital amaurosis, USA Today reported. The condition causes a gradual deterioration of eyesight beginning at birth, leading to blindness by a person's mid-20s.