Gene Therapy to the Rescue

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Recommended: Essays on gene therapy

In April 2000 two babies were born with severe combined immunodeficiency disorder, which causes them to live inside protective “sterile” bubbles. Seeing this French researches removed stem cells from the infants’ marrows and put in genetically altered viruses. Two years later, the children are still healthy (Trefil). Gene therapy is where a single defective gene is replaced with a good one to treat a disease. Adding genes that cause the right proteins to be made is also the use of gene therapy. There are two types of gene therapies: somatic and germ-line. In somatic therapies, viruses are used as a vector to put in genetic material into the cells of the body. In germ-line therapies, sperm or egg cells are used (Association). Gene therapy is not just used in medicine, but also used in improving foods and crops too, such as, “the introduction of gene-spliced, pest-resistant cotton varieties in China has reduced pesticide poisonings by nearly 80 percent” (Miller). Gene therapy should be widely available for all because of its high success in treating diseases and of its great social and economic benefits.
Gene therapy has shown much success in treating diseases such as severe combined immunodeficiency disorder and blindness, so it should be available for all to use. Gene therapy can be used to treat so many diseases and there should not be any issues that stop scientists from using it to treat cancer or blindness. Gene therapy was used in clinical trials to see how it would help treat cancer, “but Gromeier’s team tamed by inserting a small piece of genetic material from a cold virus into the poliovirus genome, effectively rendering it ‘completely unable’ to cause polio… they injected the hybrid virus into mice with malignant gliomas...

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...Michael. "Gene Therapy Will Revolutionize the Practice of Medicine." BioEvolution. San Francisco: Encounter, 2003. N. pag. Print.
Miller, Henry I., and Gregory Conko. "Genetic Engineering Benefits Society." Genetic Engineering. By Miller and Conko. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2005. N. pag. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
Rifkin, Jeremy. "Gene Therapy Is Dangerous to Health." Genetic Engineering. By Rifkin. Ed. Lisa Yount. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2002. N. pag. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
- - -. "Gene Therapy May Not Be Beneficial to Society." Genetic Engineering. By Rifkin. Ed. Sylvia Engdahl. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2006. N. pag. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
Trefil, James. 101 Things You Don't Know about Science and No One Else Does Either. N.p.: Houghton, 1996. eLibrary. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.

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