The 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).

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.

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).

Fifty years after the idea of gene therapy was first proposed, gene therapy has become a possible treatment for a couple different diseases. Before this treatment was approved, some serious unfavorable effects were found in clinical trials. However, these effects fueled more basic research in order to improve, in efficiency and safety. Gene therapy has been used for patients with blindness, neuromuscular disease, hemophilia, immunodeficiencies, and cancer.

Just in case you are a little shaky on the topic of gene therapy I will briefly explain. Gene therapy is a type of treatment used

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

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.

Scientists and doctors alike have long been looking for cures to diseases like cancer. For years now, there have been countless fundraisers to cure this and cure that. And yet, it seems as if there's never any progress. There may be a brief headline in the news about a new discovery, but they always seem to never go anywhere. Maybe the problem is that they've been looking in the wrong places. Maybe the cure doesn't lie on a medicinal level, but instead the genetic level, in genetic engineering and gene therapy. Direct manipulation of an organism's genome can be used in gene therapy as a means to alter genes, causing both positive and negatives effects as well as discussions about the ethical boundaries of modern

I read an article on an online news source that the FDA has authorized the use of gene therapy to try to cure a form of leukemia called B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL. This is the first FDA approved gene therapy in the United States. ALL can affect children and adults. The trial is targeted to children and adults under the age of twenty-five who haven't responded to previous treatment, and who havn’t had a relapse. The scientists are able to alter a patient’s T-cells by adding a new gene to the cells. This new gene directs the T-cells to target cancer cells. This is a revolutionary trial that will open many doors in the scientific community in the future. More and more experiments with genes will occur. This trial of gene therapy affects body cells, specifically white blood cells.

Because of the ethical controversies that surround gene patenting, the technology is not widely seen as beneficial to society. However, gene patents are critical to the biotech industry. “Such claims protect therapeutic proteins, like human insulin; Mabs, like Herceptin®; transgenic plants, like insect-resistant corn; and diagnostic probes for genetic diseases, which are the foundation for personalized medicine” (Karny, G. (2007, April 01). In Defense of Gene Patenting | GEN Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News - Biotech from Bench to Business. Retrieved April 02, 2017, from http://www.genengnews.com/gen-articles/in-defense-of-gene-patenting/2052). A ban on gene patenting would have a large and negative impact on gene-based medical therapies

Most people remain ignorant to the facts about gene therapy unless they are among the millions of people afflicted from a genetic disorder. In a clinical survey data showed that about one in ten people have, or will develop in their lifetime, an inherited genetic abnormality. Another clinical survey showed that approximately over two

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.

Within this field, somatic gene therapy—the replacement of a faulty gene with a functioning one—is particularly fascinating. One of its interesting aspects is the ability to be customized to the individual. For example, not all patients suffering from a given cancer will have the same mutations. After sequencing a patient’s genome to detect the carcinogenic mutations, doctors can use gene therapy to target and treat the illness at its source. However, at this stage of the technology, gene therapy provides only short-term remission. Studies on blindness showed that the initial success of gene therapy faded over time—an unsurprising outcome since the cells of most tissues will die and be replaced by new, untreated ones. With this area of research still in its infancy, much remains to be done to improve the long-term effectiveness of gene therapy and make it a viable treatment. A potential solution would be to use gene therapy on stem cells as well as on specialized cells. The daughters of the treated stem cells can then differentiate, still carrying the therapeutic gene, and replace the original treated cells as they senesce. For so long, genetic disorders have been seen as something permanent, something scientists could not change. Changing that reality would be immensely

seems to hold the key to make this a reality. Gene Therapy is still in its early stages and is still