I think my definition of gene therapy is a little broader than that.
If an injection causes the machinery of the cell to create certain proteins despite there being no gene for creating such a protein, then the injection is creating the same effect as a gene modification, at least in the short term.
I'm willing to use the term "gene therapy" to describe that. I think that is especially true for injections whose long term ability to create those proteins is unknown.
The mechanism by which these injections create proteins is certainly unique. What term would you use to describe their function? Many have rejected the term "vaccine".
Then using your definition viruses do “gene therapy” since they get your cell machinery to produce the proteins that they want, new copies of the virus.
“Many have rejected the term “vaccine”.
There’s plenty of ignorant people sharing opinions. Vaccines do exactly one thing: they train your immune system to recognize an antigen and create an antibody to fight it.
In the past we had to use lab techniques to create antigens and then inject them. But viruses didn’t need labs. Wild viruses would use mRNA to get your cells to make more viruses. But we lacked the knowhow to use that same mRNA to protect you. At least until Malone figured out how to save mRNA from destruction in your bloodstream.
The covid mRNA vaccines do the same thing that the wild viruses do. But instead of generating the entire virus they build only a portion, the spike protein. Your immune system learns it, and builds antibodies to destroy it.
People who get natural immunity from catching covid get that natural immunity courtesy of virus’ mRNA. That doesn’t scare them, probably because none of them know that the virus is basically made of mRNA. But when they hear “mRNA vaccine” they run in terror and we are all going to die.