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Thesis on gene therapy
Thesis on gene therapy
Gene therapy essay pros and cons
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Human gene therapy Gene therapy is a technique used in attempts to cure or prevent genetic diseases at the molecular level (basically at the source) by correcting what is wrong with defective genes, a good version of the defective gene is introduced into the existing cells. This technique is still considered experimental, only being done through clinical trials. This idea was first suggested during the 1950’s. The basic idea was “if the basses can be arranged incorrectly then why can’t they be rearranged in the correct way?” A genetic disorder is a disease that is caused by a mutation (change in DNA sequence that makes up a gene) in a person’s DNA. Inheriting a faulty gene can cause susceptibility to cancer and can cause many different conditions. A mutated gene creates a defective protein, which results in a disease (Defective gene▬►defective protein▬►disorder). Since gene therapy targets the faulty gene it treats the actual disease instead of treating the symptoms like most current medicine and treatments. Examples of genetic disorders are phenylketonuria, Huntington’s disease, sickle-cell anemia, cystic fibrosis and polycystic kidney disease. Gene therapy can also treat acquired diseases like some cancer, and Parkinson ’s disease. In 1990 adenosine deaminase deficiency (the lack of an important enzyme in the immune system) was the first genetic disorder to go through gene therapy trials. It was chosen because a simple gene causes it. The promising results gave gene therapy a good and hopeful start. Gene therapy is a relatively simple process. First, the mutated gene at fault for the cause of the condition being treated must be identified. Second, the site of the unhealthy cells in the human has to be found. Then, a health... ... middle of paper ... ...http://www.genetherapynet.com/basic-process.html "Gene Therapy - Better Health Channel." Better Health Channel. Web. 19 May 2014. http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Gene_therapy "Gene Delivery: Tools Of The Trade." Gene Delivery: Tools Of The Trade. Web. 19 May 2014. http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/genetherapy/gttools/ Bose, Debopriya. "Gene Therapy Pros and Cons." Buzzle. Buzzle.com, 04 Nov. 2009. Web. 19 May 2014. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/gene-therapy-pros-and-cons.html "Gene Therapy: Revolutionizing Medicine." Gene Therapy. Web. 19 May 2014. http://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~mcclean/plsc431/students/brandi.htm Herscher, Elaine. "Fighting Diseases with Genetic Therapy." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 13 Sept. 2012. Web. 19 May 2014. http://articles.latimes.com/2012/sep/13/health/la-he-future-of-gene-therapy-20120913
...Restricted After Gene Therapy Death. The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Retrieved September 22, 2011, from http://partners.nytimes.com/library/national/science/health/052500hth-gene-therapy.html?scp=9&sq=FDA%20jesse%20gelsinger&st=cse
Gene therapy is the application of the technique where the defect-causing "bad" genes are replaced by correct "good" genes. The idea of gene therapy is to treat the disease by correcting the "bad" DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) rather than the current me thod of providing drugs, or proteins not produced by the defective gene. Gene therapy addresses the problem first hand by directly working with the genetic information causing the disease. From the book Shaping Genes, Dr. Darryl Macer says "It is like f ixing a hole in the bucket, rather than trying to mop up the leaking water." There are two kinds of gene therapy, somatic cell gene therapy and germline gene therapy.
... fight the disease. It is crucial that regulation be a necessary component of gene therapy research and applications. In hopes that the government can regulate and can receive this treatment, not restricting it to people that has serious genetic diseases. Gene therapy will change the field of medicine from what it is today. As scientist discovers more genes and their functions, the potential of this treatment is limitless. Though gene therapy is an auspicious treatment choice for numerous diseases (including inherited disorders, some types of cancer, and certain viral infections), the procedure remains precarious and is still under study to make sure that it will be safe and effective. Thus government regulators and scientist must take a lead role in adopting a practical approach to address these issues and determining the correct procedures for dealing with them.
A genetic disease is a mutation caused by the absence of a gene or by products of a defective gene. ("Genetic Disease") ("What Are Genetic Disorders?")
Human gene therapy is a method used in the medical field that treats diseases at a molecular level, by solving the source of the problem; our genes. Today, diseases and disorders are commonly treated by solving the symptoms, the surface of the problem. Many disorders and diseases are caused by defective proteins and within those defective proteins are damaged and defective genes. These defective genes can be treated through gene therapy. Gene therapy is not new and has been developed and improved by researchers for the past couple years. Being an experimental technique, gene therapy also has its pros and cons, but so far is showing positive and rising success rates.
It is important to note that genes themselves do not cause disease genetic disorders are caused by mutations that make a gene function improperly. For example, when people say that someone has the cystic fibrosis gene, they are usually referring to a mutated version of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator gene, which causes the disease. All people, including those without cystic fibrosis, have a version of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator gene.
In the modern world humans have been able to design and create nearly anything, most to aid us in our daily lives and improve our standard of living. It is only inevitable that eventually humans would take our superior knowledge and skill to manipulate life itself and change our genome to produce a healthier and even more superior human standard of life. In recent years discussion about gene therapy has changed into a promising possibility to treat many of our common human diseases and disorders. Although gene therapy might be the answer to many problems, it has been met with a number of logistical and ethical hardships. With the prospect of being a treatment for inherited genetic disorders, cancers, and viral infections, gene therapy seems like the logical fix-it-all bandage that many people would benefit from.
Gene therapy is a technique which has developed in the wake of recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology. It is a process which results in the correction of a genetic disorder by the addition of a piece or fragment of DNA into the genetic material of a living, functioning cell. A mere thirty years ago this concept belonged to the realm of the human imagination made manifest in the works of science fiction. Today it belongs to the realm of the human imagination made manifest in the works of science, period. It is mind boggling to try to comprehend the far reaching effects of gene therapy. How is it affecting society? Who will benefit from its use? Should it be used at all? Should research continue? How do we answer all of these questions? The answers are not readily available, nor are they black and white, but an attempt at finding some solutions must be made. Before exploring this line of thought further, a basic understanding of the technical aspects of gene therapy is essential.
Gene therapy gives people who suffer from genetic diseases a chance to lead a normal life. Dangerous diseases, such as AIDS, SCID, Thalassemia and ADA can be cured successfully. In September 5, 2006, two people with advanced melanoma received Gene therapy and they got recovery soon. This is a breakthrough in cancer gene therapy. Gene therapy uses patients own cells to cure diseases, and, therefore, no rejection to their bodies. Furthermore, patients could get permanent cure from gene therapy without recurrence.
Lopez, Gerald Gabriel. "Gene Therapy: the Scientific vs. the Societal" The Resource. Jan. 1998. 10 Apr. 2001. .
In this paper, I will argue that genetic therapies should be allowed for diseases and disabilities that cause individuals pain, shorter life spans, and noticeable disadvantages in life. I believe this because everyone deserves to have the most even starting place in life as possible. That is no being should be limited in their life due to diseases and disabilities that can be cured with genetic therapies. I will be basing my argument off the article by “Gene Therapies and the Pursuit of a Better Human” by Sara Goering. One objection to genetic therapies is that removing disabilities and diseases might cause humans to lose sympathy towards others and their fragility (332). However, I do not believe this because there are many other events and conditions in society that spark human compassion and sympathy towards others.
Although humans have altered the genomes of species for thousands of years through artificial selection and other non-scientific means, the field of genetic engineering as we now know it did not begin until 1944 when DNA was first identified as the carrier of genetic information by Oswald Avery Colin McLeod and Maclyn McCarty (Stem Cell Research). In the following decades two more important discoveries occurred, first the 1953 discovery of the structure of DNA, by Watson and Crick, and next the 1973 discovery by Cohen and Boyer of a recombinant DNA technique which allowed the successful transfer of DNA into another organism. A year later Rudolf Jaenisch created the world’s first transgenic animal by introducing foreign DNA into a mouse embryo, an experiment that would set the stage for modern genetic engineering (Stem Cell Research). The commercialization of genetic engineering began largely in 1976 wh...
There are over 6,000 discovered genetic disorders that have been passed from generation to generation over the centuries. Most of these disorders do not have a cure and leave many people to suffer. Research has been done with different techniques over the years. In the 1960’s, a new concept called gene therapy was introduced. This technique has proven to be successful as well as unsuccessful in many cases and trials, but as technology is increasing, it gives a new possibility for a cure for genetically inherited diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease.
Since its inception, gene therapy has captured the attention of the public and ethics disciplines as a therapeutic application of human genetic engineering. The latter, in particular, has lead to concerns about germline modification and questions about the distinction between therapy and enhancement. The development of the gene therapy field and its progress to the clinic has not been without controversy. Although initially considered as a promising approach for treating the genetic of disease, the field has attracted disappointment for failing to fulfil its potential. With the resolution of many of the barriers that restricted the progress of gene therapy and increasing reports of clinical success, it is now generally recognised that earlier expectations may have been premature.
Dec. 2013. http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/genetic-engineering.shtml Park, Tristen S., Steven A. Rosenberg, and Richard A. Morgan. "Treating Cancer with Genetically Engineered T Cells." National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubMed Central (PMC), 12 June 2011.