A Viable Way of Treating Many Life Threatening Illnesses?

Gene therapy has saved many lives but there also have been other cases where the treatment has not helped cure the patient’s genetic disorder and they have died. Take Jesse Gelsinger for an example. He suffered from an X linked genetic disorder of the liver so he was injected with an adenoviral vector carrying the corrected form of the gene (Couzin & Kaiser, 2005). This treatment was not a success and Jesse ended up dying four days later. He suffered from a massive immune response that was triggered by the use of the adenoviral vector that was injected in him to transport the correct gene into his cells, which caused him to have multiple organ failures and his brain to die.

Although the treatment is costly and only available in clinical trials, gene therapy has treated some of the most known diseases, like Parkinson’s disease. People who are for gene therapy believe that it will change our world by getting rid of sickness. They think of a world without cancer and Parkinson’s disease. However, the people against gene therapy see a world with technology overtaking civilization. In their eyes, they think that gene therapy is wrong because of the side effects and the concept behind it. In addition, when thinking about gene therapy, the opposers conjecture that changing the genetic makeup of someone affected with genetic illness is wrong. I, on the other hand, believe that changing the genetic makeup of someone that is ill and suffering is exceptional because it is to their advantage. All in all, gene therapy is a heavily debated topic, but I believe that gene therapy can change our world in a positive

Gene therapy: Is a treatment method that involves the manipulation of an individual's genetic makeup. A form of therapy that attempts to fix the defective gene which is causing the disease.

Gene therapy is another approach to eradicating genetic diseases. “Gene therapy was considered for a long time appropriate only to treat monogenic diseases by means of a therapeutic gene transfer for replacement of a defective homologous gene.” (NPR 1) It is a very efficient way to prevent genetic diseases such as Crohn's. Modern day technology and scientists are curing many genetic diseases around the world using many forms or genetic

Some people may wonder what gene therapy is. Gene therapy is the replacing of defective or missing genes with normal genes in order to cure the disorder. In the future, this technique may be used to prevent or treat a disorder by inserting

Gene therapy is the insertion of normal or genetically altered genes into cells to replace defective genes. The gene is usually inserted into

Gene therapy is a method involving DNA to treat or prevent disease. It is the insertion of a corrected gene into an organism’s cell to mask the presence of the dysfunctional gene, instead of surgery or using drugs. Put simple, gene therapy is the process of using DNA as a drug. Generally, a vector (‘delivery vehicle’) is used to go to the cells where it is needed and deliver a gene, if this is successful, the cell will then be able to produce a functional protein to treat or prevent the disease. Since the gene causing CF was discovered, it is now possible to attempt gene therapy to

Gene therapy is an experimental medical procedure that uses the genes in our bodies to either treat or prevent disease by introducing new genetic material into human cells (ie. cancer cells) to create the necessary proteins that allows the cell become healthy (SOURCE). Gene therapy can also be used as an alternative to other medical disorders rather than having a surgical procedure done or using drugs such as chemotherapy. For example, Joseph Panno, research

Then the virus begins replicating performing either the lytic or lysogenic cycle. When the virus replicates using the lytic cycle, it can be lethal. Once inside the cell, the virus attaches onto ribosomes and infects it. The virus relies on the host cell’s ribosomes to preform protein synthesis in order to thrive. The virus infects the cell and uses its energy to reproduce many offspring, which in turn overcrowds the cell. The cell will burst and release new viruses. The lysogenic cycle is not initially harmful, but can become so later on. In the lysogenic cycle the virus enters the cell and does not reproduce; it essentially becomes part of the cell’s “genetic material”. The lysogenic cycle does not destroy the cell. The virus’ DNA may remain there permanently or (if exposed to large amounts of radiation or if it undergoes stress/mutations) can change into the lytic

Gene therapy is an experimental treatment, which is used to replace mutated, improperly functioning genes with regular DNA. There are several gene therapy methods, most of which involve using a vector to transport the corrected gene into targeted cells. Retro viruses, adeno viruses, adeno ascosciated viruses and liposomes are commonly used as

Gene therapy is an experimental technique that allows doctors to insert a gene into a patient’s cell rather than using drugs or surgery. Gene therapy is a process of which defective or undesired genes in the body with “normal” genes. A vector is re-engineered to deliver the gene to a target cell. Then the gene is transferred to the cell’s nucleus and must be activated in order to function. The main focus of gene therapy is to replace a lost or improper gene with a new functional copy into a vector that is inserted into the subject’s genome by way of penetrating its DNA. Gene therapy can be done outside of the body known as ex vivo by way of taking cells form patients bone marrow or blood and then growing them

Gene therapy is intriguing to discuss and research because it’s untapped potential that it has and the ability it has to cure and eradicate countless genetic disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and even cancer! It also has endless possibilities that it could contribute to the health industry. How far gene therapy has come and how far science has come, for this to even be possible is

Gene therapy is an experimental technique used in the treatment of diseases, whereby a defective

Many scientists and others believe that if gene therapy can be refined, it could be implemented to ultimately put an end to genetic disorders. The parents would have the children they want, and the children who had the natural disposition towards a genetic disorder could possibly become a normal child, whereas otherwise they would probably end up losing their life due to abortion. Those that support gene therapy view it as a win-win strategy:

In initial stages, gene therapy was used to treat patients with only life threatening diseases and illnesses; however is it now used to treat non-life-threating diseases too as a means to improve the standards of life of patients. Depending on the type of cell being treated, there are commonly two different types of gene therapy used.