The Debated Applications of Recombinant DNA Technology Essay

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.

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).

DNA has about 12 million single nucleotide polymorphisms and thousands of copy number variants, most of which are not harmful. Sometimes these mutations in genes can cause genetic disorders that end up altering or inhibiting protein function. Gene Therapy focuses on correcting the mutated genes usually by inserting a normal gene into the genome. Researchers treat these diseases this way by repairing dysfunctional gene or by providing copies of the missing gene. They isolate the normal DNA and package it into a vector. Other ways include replacing the abnormal gene with a normal one, repair the mutated gene, or altering the regulation of a certain gene. As of right now, reparative results have been marginal, there is potential of gene therapy treating single-gene disorders.

Gene therapy is the insertion of normal or genetically altered genes into cells to replace defective genes. The gene is usually inserted into

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

Gene therapy is a method involving DNA to treat or prevent disease. It is the insertion of a corrected gene into an organism’s cell to mask the presence of the dysfunctional gene, instead of surgery or using drugs. Put simple, gene therapy is the process of using DNA as a drug. Generally, a vector (‘delivery vehicle’) is used to go to the cells where it is needed and deliver a gene, if this is successful, the cell will then be able to produce a functional protein to treat or prevent the disease. Since the gene causing CF was discovered, it is now possible to attempt gene therapy to

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

Gene therapy is an experimental treatment, which is used to replace mutated, improperly functioning genes with regular DNA. There are several gene therapy methods, most of which involve using a vector to transport the corrected gene into targeted cells. Retro viruses, adeno viruses, adeno ascosciated viruses and liposomes are commonly used as vectors. Naked DNA (DNA without

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.

There is only one viable technique in gene therapy to humans – adding a gene to replace improperly functioning gene through a vector. Its basic mechanics is administering the DNA to the patient. Introduce the DNA to the diseased cell by a genetically engineered virus and express a protein. This can be done by injecting it to the bloodstream. The therapeutic genes are hoped to genetically alter the cells for normal functioning.

There are three techniques that researchers are working on. The first and most common is ex vivo ( or "outside the living body") therapy. The defective cells are removed from the patient and replaced with the normal DNA before returning to the body. This therapy targets the blood cells because many genetic defects alter the functioning of one type of these cells or another. But since blood cells have limited life spans follow-up treatments are required. Future efforts will most likely target stem cells of the bone marrow. Stem cells are ideal for gene therapy because they appear to be immortal. Researchers have obtained stem cells from human bone marrow, but they are having difficulties getting genes into the cell as well as inducing the cells to produce many new blood cells (Anderson, 1995).

The modified cells would then continue to replicate as normal cells. The in vivo approach involves the gene being directly injected into the affected tissues or into the bloodstream(Health Canada, 2012).. Although both these approaches involve the gene entering a patient’s cell in one way or another, the gene itself cannot just be entered into a cell. To be able to enter a cell the gene must use a carrier known as a vector in order for the gene to effectively enter the cell and start producing the correct proteins. A vector is a type of virus (usually adenoviruses, retroviruses and herpes simplex virus) where the virus’ DNA is removed and replaced with the gene that is required(U.S National Library of Medicine,2018). The vector can then either be applied to body cells which is called somatic gene therapy, or more controversially the gametes of the patient which is called germline gene therapy(legal in the US but banned in Canada under Section 5 of the Assisted Human Reproduction Act and other countries like Germany, Australia and UK) (Legislative Services Branch,2004). Both types of gene therapy will cause the vector to enter the

A novel therapeutic modality, gene therapy is the transfer of nucleic acids – DNA or RNA – into select somatic (body) cells to correct genetic defects or produce therapeutic proteins. It can be performed ex vivo (“out of the living”) or in vivo (“within the living”). In the ex vivo method, the target cells are removed from the patient, genetically modified, and reintroduced into the patient's body. This approach is efficient but limited to easily accessible cells such as epithelial cells (cells covering internal and external surfaces of the body), muscle cells, blood cells, and stem cells. In the in vivo method, a gene delivery system transfers the genetic material into the target cells within the patient's body. The development of safe

Gene Therapy is an experimental form of treatment that aims to get rid of genetic conditions at their source. It also may be used to replace a faulty gene with a working version or introduce a new gene to cure a condition or modify its effects. ( Victoria State Government, 2011) It is designed to introduce genetic material into cells to compensate for abnormal genes or to create a beneficial protein within the gene. If a mutated or incomplete gene creates a protein needed that is faulty or not present, gene therapy has the ability to introduce a copy of that specific gene to restore the function of the protein within that gene.

With changes in technology over the past decades, came new knowledge of the biology realm. With this new knowledge and understanding of biology came about Biotechnology. Biotechnology is the process of harnessing the ability of living systems to quickly and inexpensively produce important biological materials. We can see the results of Biotechnology in all areas of our life including the food we eat and the medicine we take.