Gene therapy is the application of genetic engineering to the transplantation of genes into human cells in order cure a disease caused by a genetic defect, as a missing enzyme. Basically gene therapy helps to cure diseases that are passed down through your family such as certain types of cancers. Its a great thing to use but it did spark a bit of controversy when it was released. The biology of human gene therapy is very complex, and there are many techniques that still need to be developed and diseases that need to be understood more fully before gene therapy can be used appropriately. The public policy debate surrounding the possible use of genetically engineered material in human subjects has been equally complex. Major participants in the debate have come from the fields of biology, government, law, medicine, philosophy, politics, and religion, each bringing different views to the discussion.
As in all medical therapy, the treatment on modifying the environment so that any harmful expression of the genotype. For example, in the disease phenyiketonuria the expression of the mutant gene is counteracted by putting the affected person on a diet low in phenylalanine. (Phenyiketonuria is an inherited disease due to faulty metabolism of phenylalanine, characterized by phenyiketones in the urine and usually first noted by signs of mental retardation in infancy.)
This is a form of gene therapy using an andenovirus vector.
No comments:
Post a Comment