Gene Therapy Essay - 4691 Words

Gene Therapy Gene therapy is a powerful new technology that has the ability to change the way medicine is practiced in the future. The potential of gene therapy offers great hope for cure and alleviation of suffering from genetic disorders that now plague numerous people. Within this past decade, much research has been conducted to learn about the aspects of gene therapy, but there is still much to learn before it is an effective medical treatment. Despite failures to prove any clinical efficacy, many experts of gene therapy predict that the first clinical success will occur in the near future. Gene therapy is a highly controversial topic that entails numerous ethical issues that need to be thoroughly analyzed before it is widely†¦show more content†¦One type is called somatic gene therapy, which involves the manipulation of gene expression in cells that will be corrective to the patient but not inherited to the next generation. This is the type of gene therapy that is currently being in tensely studied in laboratories throughout the world. The other form of gene therapy is called germline gene therapy, which involves the genetic modification of germ cells that will pass the change on to the next generation. Little, if any, research is currently being conducted in germline intervention largely for technical and ethical reasons. However, many advocates of this type predict this will be a realistic option of gene therapy in the future. How does gene therapy work? When research on gene therapy began, the basic challenge was to develop a technique for delivering genetic material to the cells of the patient. Researchers first learned that gene delivery would not be effective unless the corrective genes were inserted into the nuclei of thousands or millions of diseases cells (Licking 96). When researchers simply injected the genes into the specific tissue where they were needed, no treatment occurred because the genes did reach the cells nuclei (Licking 96). Researchers learned that a therapeutic gene must be delivered by a gene-delivery system or vector in order to be inserted into the target cells of the patients body. Many of the vectorsShow MoreRelatedGene Therapy And Germline Therapy1612 Words   |  7 PagesGood afternoon Mr David and class. Today the topic of gene therapy will be discussed, so to begin, what is gene therapy? Basically, gene therapy is the modification of genes to alter a certain characteristic that ultimately can cure a genetic disease. There are two types of gene therapy: somatic gene therapy and germline gene therapy. Somatic gene therapy is when blood cells are extracted from a person and a normal gene is then inserted into the defective cell. This does not prevent the disease fromRead MoreHuman Gene Therapy771 Words   |  3 PagesHuman gene therapy is essentially using DNA as a treatment for various genetic diseases. Most commonly, new and functional DNA is put within a vector which is then inserted into the patient. Gene therapy not only treats the problem but treats the genetic issues with a person’s DNA. The genes help to correct or replace the genes that were functioning incorrectly. Gene therapy helps by stopping a protein from functioning incorrectly, giving a protein a different function, giving the protein its normalRead MoreThe Discovery Of Gene Therapy1694 Words   |  7 Pagesnew information about genes and protein synthesis quickly followed (NLM, 2014). This new knowledge about genes made scientists look at the biological processes in new ways (Nobel Prize.org, 2014). One of the biggest breakthroughs was the development Gene Therapy. This paper will demonstrate how Gene Therapy is an important step in revolutionizing medicine and treating disease. It is believed that Gene Therapy holds the key to permanently curing disease. Gene Therapy Researchers haveRead MoreThe Controversies Of Gene Therapy1729 Words   |  7 PagesThe Controversies of Gene Therapy Demolishing genetic diseases from the human race has been and always will be a key role in science. However, there comes a point in time when moral standards have interjected the betterment of cleansing genetic diseases. One of the many branches of science that has the complete capability to exterminate our destiny of any genetic diseases, gene therapy, is being silenced due to the curse of society’s moral standards. There is a very narrow line in what is not morallyRead MoreA Study On Gene Therapy Essay1852 Words   |  8 PagesGene Therapy I first learned about gene therapy while watching an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Over multiple episodes, Dr. Bailey is trying to cure a child’s lack of immunity with the use of gene therapy, and more specifically with the use of HIV as a gene transfer vector. To make the virus usable, Dr. Bailey disables the virus and uses it for a traveling mechanism. The parents were afraid that disabling the virus would fail, causing their child to be infected with the HIV virus, so they pulled theirRead MoreThe New Paradigm Gene Therapy965 Words   |  4 Pages Gene therapy, the experimental strategy that requires the use of genes to prevent and cure diseases is a fairly new technique, yet it is one which has shown steady advancements. The journal article â€Å"Gene therapy clinical trials worldwide to 2012—An update† sets out to present analysis and summaries of clinical trials that have been performed worldwide. Authors Samantha L. Ginn, Ian E. Alexander, Michael Ede lstein, Mohammad R. Abedi and Joanne Wixon dive into some of the 1843 gene therapy trialsRead MoreEssay on A Look at Gene Therapy1264 Words   |  6 PagesWould you consider altering your DNA if it could save your life? Scientist have been working on gene therapy since the 1970s, this biotechnological form of medicine is the attempt to medically modify cells to help eliminate or prevent diseases by correcting defective genes. Imagine the possibilities of having your DNA tested for heritable diseases and being able to eliminate such diseases from your future. From 1990-2003 the Department of Energy coordinated a project called the Human Genome ProjectRead MoreThe History Of Sytech And Gene Therapy1130 Words   |  5 PagesAll you need to know about Gene therapy Sytech- Curing the future The history of SyTech and Gene therapy Gene therapy was introduced in 1985 by SyTech and has been the main priority of the company ever since due to its promising future in science. One of the first human gene therapy procedures involved injecting the correct ADA gene to a four year old girl with the ADA deficiency. Due to the success of the procedure, the patient is now living a healthy life. The success marked an important landmarkRead MoreThe Therapeutic Potential of Gene Therapy1334 Words   |  6 PagesA novel therapeutic modality, gene therapy is the transfer of nucleic acids – DNA or RNA – into select somatic (body) cells to correct genetic defects or produce therapeutic proteins. It can be performed ex vivo (â€Å"out of the living†) or in vivo (â€Å"within the living†). In the ex vivo method, the target cells are removed from the patient, genetically modified, and reintroduced into the patients body. This approach is efficient but limited to easily accessible cells such as epithelia l cells (cells coveringRead MoreTechnology of Heart Gene Therapy657 Words   |  3 PagesAlthough the technology of heart gene therapy is at its initial stages and only medical trials have begun, some ethical questions and arguments are arising on its acceptability to be used for treating people. Heart gene therapy involves insertion of a foreign gene and this is argued to be against nature because our natural genetic makeup is altered from this treatment (Kelly, 2007). This has erupted discussions for and against this treatment. Some people argue that altering our genetic makeup, even