The Ethics Of Gene Therapy

By using somatic gene therapy, it is possible to improve the pulmonary disease in cystic fibrosis. Somatic cell gene therapy only affects body cells and does not effect the sperm and egg cells, as it does in germ line therapy, this therefore means that will not prevent the disease occurring in future generations. Although this type of gene therapy has be seen to work and increase the life span of a person suffering from cystic fibrosis, it has to be done several times over the patients life because the effects do not last very

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

Can viruses used as vectors in the process of gene therapy be an effective treatment for Cystic Fibrosis? Firstly, Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic and recessive disease that mostly affects the lungs and pancreas. This leads to phlegm accumulation, salty sweat, male infertility, shortness of breath and increased risk of infection, which all contribute to premature death (CFF, 2017). Since it is recessive, you need two copies of the gene to manifest the disease, but 1/30 Americans have at least one copy of the gene, so it is easily passed on (Hulslander 2017). To treat this disease, some scientists believe a viral vector can be used in gene therapy while others say using a virus is too risky and suggest a non-viral approach, such as liposomes

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).

The use of genes as medicines for Cystic fibrosis (CF) consisted in transferring the normal Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene into affected epithelium cells, which produce mucus or other secretions. In recent studies a different

Adversely, due to individual preferences and beliefs some may find the political instruction legalizing Gene Therapy unethical. Thus, whilst the impact of Gene Therapy is

With our current society rapidly advancing in both the technological and medicinal world, many new treatments have been born that can be used to treat genetic conditions that regular antibiotics and surgeries simply have no positive or progressive effect. Gene therapy is when a newly developed gene is transferred, or introduced, to an already existing gene, it is the attempt to treat one’s genetic disorder at the molecular level and could significantly improve the human population and provides hope to people with disabilities. Gene therapy goes straight to the source and alleviates symptoms of the disorder. The gene receiving this new development is in some shape or form, mutated, or defective. If the gene therapy is a

The fallbacks and progress of gene therapy are the inherent products of research that have affected its ethical aspects. Initially, when gene therapy was a novice, it gained popularity when scientific research grew toward recognizing genes that caused certain diseases (Hunt 2006). The concept of using gene therapy to cure patients diagnosed with these types of diseases became popular in the 1980’s (Hunt 2006). Starting at this period of time, gene therapy has had its ups and downs that either led the public into outrage or hope (Hunt 2006). The growing interest of gene therapy was accompanied with the controversial success of a child’s, Ashanthi’s, health who suffered from (SCID) severe combined

Bioethics is a relational field of science that deals with the intersection of biological scientific practices and ethical concerns raised by these procedures. Genetic engineering is a relatively new scientific practice and is greatly concerned with the field of bioethics, as it raises many worries revolving around the blurred moral lines of manipulating a person’s genome.This method of engineering the human genome originated from the idea that cancers and other terminal diseases could be cured by essentially switching off harmful genes that could code for these ailments. Moreover, the origin of moral and even financial concerns with genetic engineering can be traced to the potential marketing of gene manipulation as a commercial product where parents can choose what genes to alter in their unborn child, in an order to produce a super baby. Finally, a great deal of research, as well as ethical protests, have been put into potentially altering a person’s lifespan to yield humans who exhibit the ability to live much longer lives than currently possible. Genetic engineering is a dangerous and morally wrong scientific procedure that if pursued will bring harm to the general population and destroy the ethical boundaries of science within bioethics and scientific research.

Because gene therapy involves changing the human body, it comes with its set of ethical concerns, which are not answered fully nor so rapidly. Until such scientific and technological advancements, people dealt with their genetic inequality (if faced with one) as their reality, as part of their life until they died. But with the advent of gene therapy, people may have a choice to deal with their genetic inequalities, even though it may not threaten their health or way of life. Dealing with genetic inequalities that are not dangerous to a person’s health follows a eugenic aura. It questions the normality of a person and categorizes genetic inequalities as disabilities. Also, it treats the latter as diseases needed to be cured and/or prevented.

Gene therapy is legal in the U.S. but all of its experiments and equipment are under close examination by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Although gene therapy is not illegal in the U.S. some federal laws have placed restrictions on funding and use, under Congress's power to spend. It is banned in many countries but mainly for strong ethical views scientists, doctors, priests, and the common people hold.

The process of gene therapy is the introduction of a “good,” or normal, gene into a person who is affected by a “bad,” or mutated, gene. The doctor is manipulating the genes in the child to try and treat whatever disease the individual has. There are 2 types of gene therapy, somatic and germline, and in both ways there is no way to get away from the disease. In somatic gene therapy, the doctor injects the normal gene into the patient’s targeted cells to try and treat them, but the new gene does not get passed on to the offspring of the patient. In germline gene

Gene therapy is a relatively new area of medicine that attempts to apply recent advances in molecular biology, genetics and biotechnology to the treatment of human diseases. Gene therapy uses a set of approaches to the treatment of human disease based on the transfer of genetic material (DNA) into an individual. Gene delivery can be achieved either by direct administration of gene-containing viruses or DNA to blood or tissues, or indirectly through the introduction of cells manipulated in the laboratory to harbor foreign DNA. As a sophisticated extension of conventional medical therapy, gene therapy attempts to treat disease in an individual patient by the administration of DNA rather than a drug. (1)

Most people die from sickness or have relatives that do, since genetic mutations directly cause many anomalies and greatly contribute to others. It is even estimated that, “About 4,000 diseases have been traced to gene disorders. Current and possible candidates for gene therapy include cancer, AIDS, cystic fibrosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig 's disease), cardiovascular disease and arthritis” (“Gene Therapy”). There are myriad genetic disorders, and even more people who could be helped with gene alteration. Theoretically, gene therapy could be used to replace any protein imaginable, making it an effective treatment for a multitude of genetic defects. Many different ailments are severely affecting the quality of life of those burdened with them, and now there may be a way to help. In fact, they may even be entitled to it, as the Declaration of Independence states, “[everyone is] endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (US 1776). Everybody has the right to live without fear or threat, no matter where it stems from. Inherited diseases are a great threat to the wellbeing of many, and were originally impossible to relieve. Now that treatment is available, those who are plagued by life-threatening illnesses ought to have the right to live normally

If a treatment is implicated before the child is born – germline gene therapy – he or she could lose all trace of that defective gene, and therefore wouldn’t pass the disease on to future generations. In somatic gene therapy, treatment is conducted when the patient is an