Essay on Human Gene Therapy - 1696 Words

Human gene therapy Gene therapy is a technique used in attempts to cure or prevent genetic diseases at the molecular level (basically at the source) by correcting what is wrong with defective genes, a good version of the defective gene is introduced into the existing cells. This technique is still considered experimental, only being done through clinical trials. This idea was first suggested during the 1950’s. The basic idea was â€Å"if the basses can be arranged incorrectly then why can’t they be rearranged in the correct way?† A genetic disorder is a disease that is caused by a mutation (change in DNA sequence that makes up a gene) in a person’s DNA. Inheriting a faulty gene can cause susceptibility to cancer and can cause many different†¦show more content†¦Different types of vectors exist. There are two vector systems, viral vectors and non-viral vectors. Viral vectors are viruses; they are deactivated and used to carry DNA to the target cells. Although the v irus is basically harmless it can still insert its genetic material into the target cells and create the proper protein. Examples of viral vectors are retrovirus, adenovirus, and herpes simplex virus. A plasmid is an example of a non-viral vector. A plasmid can be described as a circular DNA molecule. Sometimes to make it easier for them to enter cells the plasmids are packaged inside of liposomes, liposomes are membrane-wrapped packets that transport their contents by combining with cell membranes. Advantages of viral vectors are the following: they are good at entering and targeting cells, some specifically cells certain types of cells, and they can be made to not replicate and destroy cells. Disadvantages are that an immune response can be triggered which may cause patients to become sick and can also disallow the genes to be delivered or can kill the genes, and the size that they can carry is limited so some genes may be too big to fit in a viral vector. There are two ways inSh ow MoreRelatedHuman Gene Therapy771 Words   |  3 PagesHuman gene therapy is essentially using DNA as a treatment for various genetic diseases. Most commonly, new and functional DNA is put within a vector which is then inserted into the patient. Gene therapy not only treats the problem but treats the genetic issues with a person’s DNA. The genes help to correct or replace the genes that were functioning incorrectly. Gene therapy helps by stopping a protein from functioning incorrectly, giving a protein a different function, giving the protein its normalRead MoreEssay on Human Gene Therapy1921 Words   |  8 PagesHuman Gene Therapy Imagine this, you have just married your college sweetheart this past summer. You have now been happily married for over a year and you find out that the two of you are going to be parents. So as the typical soon to be mom and dad so commonly do, the two of you start going to the doctor for checkups to make sure the pregnancy is running smoothly. Early in the pregnancy you hear the worst, your baby has a fatal disease. The two of you are terribly heart broken over the situationRead MoreThe Human Gene Therapy 1373 Words   |  5 PagesGene therapy is a technique that uses new genes to treat or prevent disease by replacing or adding new effective genes. This technique is aimed to allow doctors to treat genetic disorders without the prescribing drugs or scheduling surgery to correct the disorder. Gene therapy isn’t a fully effective method as of today. It is still undergoing tests. Several of the most common tests include introducing a new gene into the body to fight against a disease or disorder, replacing a mutated gene with aRead More Human Gene Therapy Essay1766 Words   |  8 PagesHuman Gene Therapy Image what it would be like if doctors could cure Huntingtons disease, muscular dystrophy, or even hemophilia. Could this be possible? With gene therapy this all could be reality in the near future. Gene therapy is a potential approach to the treatment of genetic disorders in humans. This is a technique where the absent or faulty gene is replaced by a working gene, so the body can make the correct enzyme or protein and consequently eliminate the root cause of the diseaseRead More Human Gene Therapy Essay1917 Words   |  8 PagesHuman Gene Therapy Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was discovered in 1944 by Avery and colleagues. Avery identified DNA as the primary genetic material. Watson and Crick later discovered the double helix structure of DNA. Leder and co-workers deciphered the triple nucleotide code that designated the amino acids from which proteins were built. The science of molecular biology was born (Sokol, Gewirtz, 1996). In 1990 a four year old girl who was suffering from severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID)Read MoreThe Process of Human Gene Therapy600 Words   |  2 PagesHuman gene therapy is a procedure that is currently being used to help fight diseases with no known cures. Gene testing removes a gene that causes a disease and replaces it with a healthy copy of that gene. By placing a healthy copy of the gene inside the patient’s body, that gene can help fight any diseases, such as different forms of cancer, inherited disorders, immune system discords or viral infections (AIDS). Once inside the cell, the genes produce what the patient lacks, it kills the diseasedRead MoreGene Therapy And Its Effects On The Human Body1399 Words   |  6 Pagesinterrelatedness of systems in the human body. Some diseases are genetic – the defective alleles have been inherited from one parent or both. Other diseases that require gene therapy are not inherited and can be caused by a mutation that changes the base sequence in the genetic code. (Mike Boyle, 2008) Gene therapy is an experimental technique used in the treatment of diseases, whereby a defective allele is replaced with a functional one in order to produce the desired function of that gene (Michael Kent, 2000)Read MoreGene Therapy And Human Genetic Engineering1646 Words   |  7 Pagesdiseases† (Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, 2013, p. 34). To understand human physical development and evolution one has to understand biological anthropology as the focus on humans as biological organisms. Biological anthropologist conduct research, and form techniques of modern molecular biology to learn about human variation and how it relates to different environment humans lived in as well as their conditions. Genetics is the study of heredity and variation in livingRead More Ethics of Genocide and Eugenics Essay1407 Words   |  6 PagesGene Therapy: Genocide and Eugenics or Striving for a More Perfect Population Controversy and Ethics Just as there are different types of people who look at one glass of water and describe it as half full or half empty, the public has many different views on the future of our society. Gene therapy is also a glass that can be viewed in different angles – different perspectives. Some say it has great potential to shape the ideals of our future, while others believe it signifies intolerance forRead MoreThe Discovery Of Gene Therapy1694 Words   |  7 PagesIn 1953, Watson and Crick discovered one of the biggest mysteries of the human body; the DNA double helix (Nobel Prize.org, 2014). The discovery reshaped biology and the way scientists viewed how biological information was stored and processed (Nobel Prize. org, 2014). Once the double helix was discovered new information about genes and protein synthesis quickly followed (NLM, 2014). This new knowledge about genes made scientists look at the biological processes in new ways (Nobel Prize