Essay about Pros and Cons of Gene Therapy

Gene therapy is a very controversial topic that has been discussed in the last five years and is being heavily studied to help cure cancer. Gene therapy is a technique aimed at treating genetic disorders by introducing the correct form of the defective gene into the patient’s genome (Dunlop et al., 2010).

Gene therapy is an experimental technique that is used to prevent disease. For future reference, this technique may treat disorders. It may add or remove genes to get rid of a genetic disorder. Gene therapy is a heavily debated subject. There are very respectful points on both sides of this debated topic. The pro side believes that gene therapy is the best thing that is happening to our society. However, opposers of gene therapy believe that people should refrain from proceeding with this biological advancement and it is ethnically incorrect.

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.

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

A group of scientists from Oxford University, Imperial College London and The University of Edinburgh are currently doing clinical trials on 130 people who suffer from CF. The vector that is used is not a virus like most other cases of gene therapy, but rather an artificially created lipid that fuses with cells in the lungs and transfers DNA for the correct CFTR gene. The reason a viral vector is not used is because lung cells are constantly replaced. This causes that victims of CF will have to receive gene therapy on a regular basis. If the same viral vector is inserted into a patient multiple times, the body will build up immunity to this virus and lessen its affectivity. Although the chosen method is less effective than using viruses, it can be used multiple times. The trials are still in progress and have experienced no complications thus far. The trials will continue until July 2014 and the results are planned to be published in October 2014.

This is one of the major factors that lead to the absence in the gaining of therapeutic science. Although the lack in progress cannot be the only factor blasted for; some scientific trials have confirmed both anxious and fearful, advancing tighter on gene therapy restrictions. According to Hogarth, this hotly debatable topic of whether it is dangerous or not “playing God” has caused many religious, governmental, scientific and public figures to signify their own concerns in fierce debates (Hogarth para 9). Since the beginning of gene therapy, there has always been a constant battle over the guidance of its future of whether gene therapy will transform into a therapeutic science or lead to unpleasant consequences as the eugenics did in the 20th century. The ethics of gene therapy have been established and based on, not only beliefs, but also the disconnection and advantages achieved in the trials, which has lead to the breakthrough of the future of gene therapy. The downfall and advancement of gene therapy are the hereditary products of research that have had a major influential impact on its ethical features. When gene therapy was a novice, it gained an immense amount of popularity when scientific research evolved towards identifying genes that induce certain diseases (Hunt, 2006).

Whether gene therapy should be allowed to be used in practice is currently a very controversial topic. In my opinion, I do not think that it should be allowed. Gene therapy is a technique where genetic material is inserted into a patient to replace missing or defective genes. Gene therapy can be further broken down into two categories: somatic and germline. From there, somatic gene therapy can be approached in two ways: in-vivo and ex-vivo. For the process of gene therapy to begin, the proper vector needs to be acquired. Once a vector is chosen, the vector delivers the new gene into the target cell. Then, the target cell becomes infected with the vector. Next, the vector’s genetic material is inserted into the target cell. Then finally, functional

Without a vector, mutated cells cannot be targeted, which means the treatment would be ineffective. Since the 1990’s, scientists have experimented with the use of viral vectors, such retroviruses, adeno viruses and adeno asscociated viruses. Viruses contain a circular piece of DNA known as the plasmid. During gene therapy, the segment of DNA responsible for viral spread is removed. The correct copy of the mutated gene is then inserted into the virus. The virus is then inhaled,swallowed or injected depending on the location of the target cells. (in the case of CF, the vector is inhaled). Retroviruses are viruses that contains RNA instead of DNA. Retroviruses can only infect dividing cells and the viral RNA needs to be reverse transcribed to DNA, so that gene can be replicated for mitosis (this is done using enzymes). Unfortunately, retroviruses have been found to implant genes into random parts of the genome. This means that the introduced gene can disrupt an existing, functional gene. Between 1999 and 2006, reasearchers performed gene therapy on 5 children with a genetic immune defficiency, using retroviruses as vectors. By 2006, all 5 of these children had developed leukemia as a result of the vector implanting into a random part of the genome. Adenoviruses have also been used as vectors, however, they do not integrate into the genome permaneatly and are likely to trigger an immune response. In 1999,

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

Human Genetic Engineering is the altering of a human genome to create more “desireable” traits and or attempt to prevent disease. Preventing diseases before they occur and having a world in which everyone has the opportunity to have “perfect” genes might sound like a dream come true but it is actually a nightmare. Not only does editing a child’s genes raise many religious problems but it also could raise secular problems. Editing a child’s genes is a not only morally wrong but also would lead to a more prejudiced society and open the gate to a rapid formation of new diseases (npr.org).

Gene therapy is also a good technique for diseases not researched yet. All of us carry defected genes and may not know it. Gene therapy is a 'medicine" for the future since it can control or eliminate hereditary diseases. This means that Gene Therapy is a good source for our future and will help us prevent diseases that have not been looked at more closely.

Despite the promise of such approaches, a number of difficulties remain to be overcome, the most important of which is the need for more efficient systems of gene delivery. No gene transfer system is 100% efficient, unless germ-line therapy is contemplated. During the past two decades, there have been major advances in our understanding of how cancer develops, proving that cancer has a genetic basis (2). A series of genetic abnormalities that accumulate in one cell may result in a pattern of abnormal clonal proliferation. Our growing understanding of the genetic basis of cancer offers new opportunities for the molecular prevention and treatment of cancer. There has been a

The second technique is the in situ (or "in position") therapy. Cells carrying corrective genes are introduced directly into the tissue where the genes are needed. This treatment is good for conditions that are localized, but it cannot correct systemic disorders. In situ treatment is being explored for diseases like cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, and cancer. This treatment is still hindered by a lack of safe and effective ways for implanting correct genes into various organs (Anderson, 1995).

Cystic Fibrosis (CF), is another disease that is taking to genetic therapy. If a corrected gene could somehow enter the cells that line the lungs, it will then start producing the critical proteins that CF patients need. This has been done, although in small quantities. These results, however, have raised hopes that sometime in the future, CF may be curable.

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: