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Cancer and Gene Therapy Gene therapy is an experimental technique that allows doctors to insert a

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Cancer and Gene Therapy 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 …show more content…

It has also recently been used in attempt to treat patients with genetic diseases SCID otherwise known as severe combined immunodeficiency, as well as other diseases. Scientist and doctors are optimistic that with time patients can receive a piece of DNA and go home cured. One of the first experiments that was carried out using gene therapy was on a four-year old girl, Ashanti DeSilva. She was born with an autonomic recessive metabolic disorder that manifests as a lack of enzyme adenosine deaminase (ADA). All because of a single defective gene and due to that she suffered from Severe combined immunodeficiency SCID. In the absence of the enzyme, substances toxic to lymphocytes accumulate and immune function is either severely compromised or completely absent. The doctors took blood from their patient and removed her white blood cells. They then inserted the missing gene into the white blood cell, and put them back into her blood stream. The therapy partially restored Ashanti’s immune system. It temporarily stimulated production of the missing enzyme; however it does not generate new cells with functional genes. This strengthened her immune system. Ashanti continued to receive injections of the corrected cells every two months. This helped her lead a normal life.
There are two concepts of gene therapy. The first concept is germinal cell gene therapy which would involve the genetic modification of germ cells.

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