Is Germline Therapy The Answer For Cystic Fibrosis?

The foundation of genetics lies with the principles that Gregor Mendel outlined after his experiments with pea plants where he discovered the relationship between physical characteristics, or phenotype, and genetic traits, or genotype. This experiment aimed to reproduce Mendel’s results with the Brassica rapa plant, noted for it’s fast generation time, and anthocyanin, a purple pigment that can be visually tracked through subsequent generations. It is important for experiments resulting in scientific discovery to be replicable and peer reviewed. Since Mendelian genetics are the foundation of scientific education, including answering questions about

Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited condition. However, the gene for Cystic Fibrosis is recessive and

Cystic Fibrosis, also known as CF, is one of the most common life-threatening genetic disorders found in people. Discovered in 1938 by Dr. Dorothy Hansine Andersen, Cystic Fibrosis severely affects two parts of the human body, including the respiratory system and the digestive system. Cystic Fibrosis causes the mucus glands to secrete very thick and sticky mucus. This mucus then clogs the tiny air passages and traps bacteria in the lungs. The thick mucus also stops the release of digestive enzymes in the pancreas from reaching the small intestine. According to Cystic Fibrosis Queensland (2015) more than one million Australians carry the Cystic Fibrosis Gene, with one in every 25 people, often not realising they are carrying the deadly gene.

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that is programmed in the victim’s DNA. It is passed on from parents who are both carriers of the defective gene. This genetic disorder affects the respiratory and digestive systems. People who suffer from cystic fibrosis usually inherit a defective gene on chromosome 7 called CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator). Below is a diagram showing how cystic fibrosis is passed on from carrier parents to a child. The diagram shows that when a child is born by two parents who are both carriers of the CFTR defective gene, there is a one in four chance of being born with cystic fibrosis, there is a 2 in 4 chance of being a carrier or a 1 in

The genetic disease that I am writing about is called Cystic Fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis is a genetically transmitted disease that is caused by a defective gene that makes the body produce abnormally thick and sticky mucus, impacting your lungs, pancreas, liver, intestines, sinuses, sex organs and sweat glands. Cystic Fibrosis makes this mucus can clog up your lungs and pancreas making it difficult to breath and serious digestive issues. This amount of thick mucus in the lungs can cause repeated lung infections or even permanent lung damage. The disease may also affect the sweat glands and a man's reproductive system. There are a lot of different symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis depending if it is affecting your digestive system or your lungs and

Cystic fibrosis is a terrible disease that affects everyday life for most people. There is no cure for the disease but we will never lose hope for one. Technology and medicines have advanced well over time. Living with cystic fibrosis is a hard life and it takes a strong individual to fight for their life. My sister was one of the strong individuals who fought for her life. Emily was born on August 23, 2012 and lost her life on November 2, 2012. She was strong princess and a warrior whom’s time on earth was very limited. She is a fine example of what it takes to be a fighter! [thesis] What is cystic fibrosis, how it affects their lives, and how it impacts the others around them.

I couldn’t imagine what it would be like growing up with a life threating condition that has no cure. Amanda Estep is a 21-year-old, college student and also a close friend of mine who has been battling Cystic Fibrosis since she was three years old. Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic condition that causes mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive system, making it hard to breath. “Basically everything in my body is thicker, so the mucus in my lungs is harder to break up and get out which causes frequent lung infections.” Amanda explained to me. Cystic Fibrosis also impacts her ability to digest food, resulting in her being underweight most of her life. While I have known Amanda since kindergarten, we have never talked in depth about how much she has to do to remain as healthy as possible. Hearing her explain her story made me realize how lucky I am to be healthy, and that’s something’s no one should take for granted. There is currently no cure for Cystic Fibrosis, but Amanda shared some of the many things she has to do in order to remain as healthy as possible. Some of those things includes being hospitalized for two weeks four or five times a year, taking many medications, and knowing how hard she can push herself.

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs and digestive system. This disorder is among over 70,000 people worldwide, and about 30,000 just in the United States alone. Nearly half of the Cystic Fibrosis population is age 18 or older, and are normally diagnosed by age 2. Though Cystic fibrosis is a complex disease and the types and severity of symptoms can differ widely from person to person. Many different factors, such as age of diagnosis, can affect an individual's health and the course of the disease. Today the median survival age for having this disorder is close to 40 years old. To most that might seem very young, but this is a huge improvement from what it was in past years. New advances in technology makes it possible for people with this disorder to

​Cystic fibrosis is a disease that is continually affecting children and adults in the United States. This is an inherited and life-threatening disease which affects many organs in the body. According to the Center for Disease Control, there are an estimated 30,000 people affected by this disease today. There are also approximately 2,500 babies born each year with Cystic fibrosis and unfortunately there are millions of people unaware they even carry the gene for this disease.

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic life-threatening disease. Other names for cystic fibrosis may be CF for short, cystic fibrosis of the pancreas, fibrocystic disease of the pancreas, mucoviscidosis, mucoviscidosis of the pancreas, pancreas fibrocystic disease or pancreatic cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis was first discovered in 1938 by Doctor Dorothy Hansine Anderson. Doctor Anderson was the first to view cystic fibrosis as a disease and helped create tests to diagnose it. Cystic fibrosis is a disease that is passed from parents to children through genes. It is a long-lasting illness of the secretory glands. The secretory glands are what makes mucus, sweat, tears and saliva. Cystic fibrosis causes the secretory glands to generate unusual thick

This genetic disease is found to affect over 30,000 people with additions of nearly 1,000 people diagnosed every year. The prevalence of individuals with cystic fibrosis in the U.S. has decreased and major medical developments have helped to increase the life expectancy of those with the disease now as compared to 10 years ago (MacKenzie 237). The average age of diagnosis is around 6-8 months, whereas roughly two thirds of patients are diagnosed within their first year of birth. Unlike some genetic conditions, cystic fibrosis is not sex linked and as a result, occurs equally as often in men as in women. The severity and variation of symptoms differs from one individual to the next. However, research has found that females with cystic fibrosis have a “shortened life expectancy relative to men” because they “become colonized with certain common CF pathogens earlier than men and show a decreased life expectancy” due to the early onset of respiratory infections (Harness-Brumley 1013). In addition, research suggests that there is a high rate of bone related diseases in co-occurrence with cystic fibrosis. It is found that “individuals with cystic fibrosis fail to demonstrate normal bone calcium accretion” due to insufficient intake and absorption of nutrients (Boyle 455). The multiple factors contributing to bone disease include malnutrition, vitamin and mineral malabsorption, recurrent infections, and lack of exercise” can lead to osteoporosis if left untreated (Boyle

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a life-threatening genetic disease, explicitly an autosomal recessive genetic disorder, which primarily affects the lungs and digestive system. An estimated 30,000 children and adults in the United States have CF (Song, Chiu, & Yoon, 2012). According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, “In the 1950s, few children with CF lived to attend elementary school”("Cystic Fibrosis Foundation," 2014, p. 1). It is important to recognize the progress that has been made on diagnosing CF, as well as the numerous treatments that have figuratively, and in a sense, literally given a breath of life to those affected by Cystic Fibrosis. The advancement in diagnostic screening at birth and specific presenting symptoms, provide physicians and practitioners the opportunity to examine and aggressively treat CF from an early age, yielding a considerable positive impact on the life expectancy of those with CF. “During the past 3 decades, treatment advances have raised the median predicted survival age in the United States from 25 years (1985), to 37.4 years (2008)”(Song, Chiu, & Yoon, 2012, p. 132).

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited autosomal recessive disorder that affects the lungs and digestive system most often. In the United States some 30,000 children and adults have CF. There are approximately 1,000 new cases of cystic fibrosis diagnosed each year in the US with 70% of patients diagnosed with CF by the age of two, 40% of patients with CF are 18 or older. In the 1950's most children with CF did not survive to attend elementary school, but in 2006 the median age of survival was 37 years (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 2007).

The average life span of a person with Cystic Fibrosis is 25-30 years of age. Although the more traditional treatments of this disease are adequate, is there something else that could be even better? Gene therapy is fast becoming one of the more studied aspects of genetics today. Let's take a look at some details of Cystic Fibrosis and gene therapy.

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease that ultimately leads to death. It affects every racial group worldwide, but its prevalence varies from country to country. In those with cystic fibrosis, the lungs and digestive system are primarily affected by the disease. With the new developments in treatment and management, the 50 percent survival rate from the 1970’s has greatly improved, allowing patients to continue to live their lives longer than ever expected in the past. The new developments in prevention of exacerbations, therapy drugs and methods to preserve lung function have done great things to help patients extend their lives. Education is another important aspect of treating cystic fibrosis. For example, more the