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Gene Therapy Outline

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Gene Therapy

Introduction- Outline the essay/ what is gene therapy

Genes are “…. the basic physical and functional unit of heredity.” The offspring receives two of the same gene from each parent and these genes make up chromosomes. A male has an X and a Y chromosome while females have two X chromosomes. Genes are made up of DNA that, “….act as instructions to make molecules called proteins” within the body. However in some cases genes received from parents have been implemented by disease and the offspring can receive a genetic condition. A genetic condition is caused by a mutation or alteration to a set of genes in the DNA and it can be X-linked or autosomal. In new age technology these genetic conditions can be able to be cured by Gene …show more content…

“Genes are paired- one copy of each gene pair is inherited from the mother and the other copy from the father.” If a genetic disorder is a shown trait through an individual the way it was inherited is through one of these two genes in the pair is abnormal and contains a extra gene. “Around 6,000 known genetic disorders are caused by inheriting an altered gene.” Down syndrome is one of these diseases with an extra affected chromosome (21). Down Syndrome affects physical growth and gives a person a disability in knowledge and development. It is an incurable disease and a individual must be born with it to occur. Cystic Fibrosis is another gene disorder it affects the lungs and digestive system and slowly decreases the effectiveness of its workings. Muscular dystrophy a disorder that can either start from birth or into late 40s depends on what type of genetic type of disease the person possesses. The disease slowly eats away at muscles and eventually leaving an individual struggling to move and slowly dying. PKU causes brain damage another genetic disorder can be detected from birth. Hereditary Hemochromatosis is apart of these genetic disorders and it is quite common “approximately 1 to 6 people in the United states”. This disease has no shown trait however it causes an iron overload in the body. The symptoms can be bad or not as effecting it is different with every person who has the disease. In all genetic disorders they aren’t common to all start from birth each can start from young to old and it is unknown to if a person has a disease until the symptoms

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