Gene Therapy Regualtion :: Science Genetics Essays

Gene Therapy Regualtion Gene therapy techniques are a rapidly growing area of interest and concern. Gene therapy technologies will have great impacts on how deal with medical problems and perhaps even on how we live our lives. Yes, gene therapy is something that will probab ly impact your life in one form or another. There are many issues discussed related to this topic, one of which is regulation. Who should regulate this research and to what extent should it be regulated? The following essay addresses the later question . This essay will explain what gene therapy is, how it is regulated, and will discuss the philosophies on how it should be regulated. Who ultimately decides the uses of gene therapy, and will those making these decisions keep your interests in mind? It is in the best interests of everyone that society develop proactive means of regulating gene therapy to maximize benefits and minimize the risks. Human gene therapy is one of the newest advances bridging science and medicine in our modern world. In the most basic sense, it involves changing the genetic composition of certain cells in the human to correct a "defect" in the genetic code that is c ausing undesirable characteristics such as a disease. A person's genetic code is responsible for coding proteins which constitutes our physical makeup. A single alteration to this code can result in a lethal disease. In gene therapy, genes with the cor rect code are inserted into the cell. The method of choice to insert desired genes into human cells is through a virus vector in which the virus inserts modified DNA to replace the DNA that is causing the genetic problem (Coutts). Once the DNA is in th e cell, it can code for the desired protein needed to make the patient well. If the cells that are treated in your body are not reproductive cells, this type of gene therapy is called somatic cell therapy. This technique means it only affec ts those trea ted cells and will not be a genetic trait passed on to future generations. In somatic gene therapy, treatments often have to be conducted every couple of months because cells continually are being replaced in the body. Germ-line therapy is a procedure in which reproductive cells are altered. This results in future generations that carry this same alteration. Much debate over gene therapy has erupted as scientific advances have brought this technology to the application phase.