Gene Therapy Persuasive Essay

Imagine this you're a scientist about to make a groundbreaking discovery finding the gene to cure HIV but, you get hit with a lawsuit because a gene was previously patented. All research is stopped by law and due to the patent you give up your research and if that is not enough you have to pay over $3,000 in royalties which leads to giving up on the project. “Patenting Life” (2007) writer Michael Crichton,, a well educated man in the medical field earning his degree from Harvard Medical School,, is trying to end yet, on the other hand “Decoding the Use of Gene Patents” (2009) John E. Calfee an economist believes Gene Patents are beneficiary and not harmful. Crichton and Calfee disagree in many ways being halt on research, worrying about a

grow more and more complex. In a topic that has been debated for over a decade, embryonic

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 defined as the medical replacement of defective genes in living human cells; its aim is to replace the activity of a defective gene by activating a dormant gene which has a similar function (Wheale & McNally, 212). Under gene therapy comes the politically controversial Human Genome Project, a fifteen-year, $3 billion federally-funded biology program. The goal of the project is to isolate the defective gene on the chromosomes which comprise the human genome (Fletcher, 2). In this manner, the Human Genome Project may be able to rid the cancer-ridden genes from human DNA, thereby curing cancer permanently. The project has been the focus of much scientific and political controversy over the past few years for its possible ramifications are extensive to all of human existence.

On May 5, 2001, the world’s first genetically modified children were born. The United States performed an experiment from which, thirty healthy, GM babies were born; which brought up a concern for the ethics involved. The babies were born to mothers who would have been considered infertile otherwise. These children have DNA from three parents, two females and one male. Scientists extracted an egg from the infertile mother, and inserted fertile genes from the other woman before fertilization, in hopes of conceiving. The infertile women from the experiment were found to have defects in the mitochondria of their egg cells which prevented them from conceiving. Using the “healthy” eggs, scientists took fertile mitochondria and placed it into the infertile egg of the mother. Since these children have now inherited the modified genes into their germline, their “new” genes can be passed down to their children as well. Lord Winston, of the Hammersmith Hospital in West London, told BBC that, “Regarding the treatment of the infertile, there is no evidence that this technique is worth doing . . . I am very surprised that it was even carried out at this stage.”

People always look for miracles in their life. What if there is a way to miracles? Genetic engineering can create miracles, by making impossibles to possibles. From the name genetic engineering we can define that is all about genetics. Haircolor, color skin, eye color, long or short all comes from genes that are inherited from the parents. What if we can create and customize our gene to have specific traits and actions? Genetic engineering is more beneficial than risky and has a huge effect on the today’s society because it plays a major role with treating human diseases, for pharmaceuticals and genetically modified foods for people and animals.

In 1990 the first gene therapy procedure gained approval and a four-year-old girl with SCIDs disease was finally able to fight off a simple cold. She is now able to live a normal life with the help of continued treatment of gene therapy. Although gene therapy is an innovative and ideally favorable procedure when it comes to treating diseases, cancer, or inherited disorders, it is still a delicate procedure and is continuously studied to insure it is not only effective but also and most importantly safe. In order to insure the safety of patients a gene therapy drug must get the approval of the FDA before becoming available, as every drug must do. Since gene therapy is still very experimental; there are only a few gene therapy drugs that have been approved by the FDA to treat patients. However, on August 30th, 2017 history was made when the FDA approved Kymriah, the first CAR-T cell therapy drug to be available in the United States. Kymriah is a one-time treatment for patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, it was developed through the research collaboration of Novartis and the University of Pennsylvania, and it is manufactured for each individual patient. Kymriah’s only drawback would be the price tag of $475,000 for a course of treatment, however Novartis plans to wave the fee for patients where Kymriah is not successful.

Scientific discoveries are made every so often and are constantly changing the way we live. The particular discovery of recombinant DNA has revolutionized our lifestyle and the world surrounding us. In 1935, Russian scientist Andrei Nikolaevitch Belozersky discovered DNA, and a few decades later, in 1973, recombinant DNA was created. This concept involved creating man-made DNA by combining genes of interest from foreign DNA. From then onwards, the applications of this scientific practice has altered science and medicine in an unimaginable way. After analyzing the potential uses and safety of this method, the FDA approved the first GMO in 1982; it consisted of using E. Coli to produce insulin. In 1994, GMOs were introduced to the grocery stores

Genes play an important role in the life of every living organism. Genetics are found in Farming to a woman’s fertility, virtually impacting every aspect of our life. Sometimes, these perfect codes that allow life to function in the desired way go haywire and cause abnormalities in the organism. There is a way to fix all of these ailments and the only problem that stands in the way is an unknowledgable public. The media have created a block of false truth that only allows for the news of ‘safe’ procedures to make it through to the general public. Yet, from sickle cell to malaria, diseases must be cured with new advanced technologies like Crispr and gene therapy; these methods are just as safe as the current methods that are ineffective.

“This year about 564,800 Americans are expected to die of cancer—more than 1,500 people a day” (“Helping Families Face the Challenges”). Imagine if this detrimental disease, and innumerable life-altering others, were removed from the human biological code (Palus 20)? This may become reality, and human genome editing is responsible. However, due to ethical concerns this practice is prohibited in 15 of the 22 European nations (“Don't Edit the Human Germline”). Animals are currently used for this type of research where humans are taboo, though it is no longer practical. Their DNA, despite showing similarities, is neither identical to a humans nor accurately translatable to human embryonic research (“Failure of the Animal Model”). If an effective

The era of scientific advancement in the twentieth century has encouraged several scientific fields to merge into a new, futuristic science called Biotechnology. One idea behind Biotechnical science is taking advantage of molecular biology. At the forefront of this advancement is gene therapy which " attempts to treat disease at its origin on the molecular level"(Kreeger,1996). "Essentially, this therapy deliberately introduces genes into the human cells to compensate for aberrant genes that cause genetic disease" (Beese, 1996). This therapy can be administered in two ways. One is germ-line therapy which not only treats the cells of that individual but these treated cells could be passed onto

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was discovered in 1944 by Avery and colleagues. Avery identified DNA as the primary genetic material. Watson and Crick later discovered the double helix structure of DNA. Leder and co-workers deciphered the triple nucleotide code that designated the amino acids from which proteins were built. The science of molecular biology was born (Sokol, Gewirtz, 1996). In 1990 a four year old girl who was suffering from severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) was the first to undergo gene therapy. White blood cells were removed from the girl and the cells were inserted with normal copies of the defective gene and returned into the girls circulation. Her condition improved with four treatments and

I volunteer at the Houston Medical Center whenever I go back home and a gene therapy program has been implemented in M.D. Anderson for cancer patients. It’s been at the forefront fighting rare genetic disorders that affect children. Their successful trials excel every step in the gene therapy process. While doing research, I also stumbled upon Dana-Farber’s cancer and blood disorder center where another gene therapy program has also been implemented [2]. Through their research capabilities, they research on basic studies on the causes of genetic diseases, gene/target identification, vector selection and development, preclinical validation and development, monitoring the efficacy and safety of genetic modification, development of new strategies for genetic engineering, and identification of novel clinical applications [2]. They work with multiple partners and conduct patient cell transduction and prepare gene corrected patient cells for infusion. I believe that their gene therapy research is truly effective and everyone should be completely for gene therapy research. In fact, just this past year in August, the Food and Drug

Every living thing is the product of the genes that were passed down from ancestors. Genes make up everything we are. One gets their traits from their parents. Most people live full lives with relatively good health. However, some people inherit mutated genes or faulty genes. This could lead to genetic disorders that could be life threatening. Even today, many genetic disorders still remain incurable, leaving many people without hope. Genetic therapy could be their answer. It is through this research that the cure for genetic disorders can be found. Though some people believe it is unethical or immoral to alter genes, current therapeutics have not been able to save the lives of the patients with these diseases. Genetic therapy

Genetic engineering is currently a growing field in which people are obsessing over. This is new and upcoming technology that combines genetic and Nanotechnological enhancements, which completes the direct manipulation of DNA to alter an organism’s characteristics in a particular way. In my opinion, it may very well be a great improvement, but it should only be used when necessary. If I were a parent of a child under 12 years of age, I would not sign up for the enhancement.