Gene Technology

Gene Therapy

Biological Basis

A deficiency in the amounts of different products such as phenylalanine catabolism results in malfunctioning of the human body. Most of these disorders are genetic and they lead to early, delayed or premature death. The introduction of gene therapy has enabled clinicians to treat and cure genetic related diseases. Gene therapy is the technique of treating or preventing a disease by altering a patient’s genetic material through experimentation. This discipline is a course in genetic engineering and is subdivided into two types of therapies, germ cell and somatic cell gene therapy (Giacca, 2010).

Germ cell therapy involves substitution of the defective genes with normal genetic materials in the gametes. Purposeful genes are introduced, which modify the germ cells-ova or sperms-into the genomes of the patient. During conception, the genome cells combine to form an embryo where the cells divide and produce other cells of the same genetic modification. Since the genes had earlier been altered, the organism formed would have a combination of the distorted genes in its DNA. This type of therapy is passed on from one generation to the other because the alteration becomes part of every individual in the lineage, though the gene pool of the affected persons changes with time (Kelly, 2007).

The somatic cell gene therapy works contrary to germ cell since it involves replacement of the affected somatic cells with normal ones and it does not engross the gametes. This type works in retaining the normal functioning of the body cells even after having some sort of disorder. Focus is placed on the only defective gene in the body and not the entire gene structure. Gene mapping, and sequencing have to be conducted before the therapy is performed. Normally, the DNA fragments involved are limited. Therefore, it requires a DNA sequence that has the comprehensive coding sequence instead of the convectional gene (Giacca, 2010). The coded sequence is then bordered with the appropriate series, which results in a point of expression.

Social and Ethical Implications

Debates pertaining to the social and ethical implications of gene therapy have been present since the early 1990s. Gene therapy has been viewed to have beneficial effects to the individuals who have used it. This includes curing diseases such as cystic fibrosis, Parkinson’s disease and sickle cell anemia. However, the ethical implications surrounding it have risen considerably. To begin with, religious groups are against this type of treatment because they claim that it alters the normal composition of the body as created by God. The germ line type of treatment is much worse compare to somatic gene therapy. This is because the alterations made on one particular individual affect all the other people in one’s own lineage for the next generations to come (Clarke & Ticehurst, 2006). Moreover, the criteria for choosing people who would be used for the genetic testing have not been identified fully.

The social implications involve the misuse of the therapies to one’s own benefit that is not medically related. After the completion of experiments on germ therapy, individuals would be able to use it as a source of enhancement of their bodily structures. Parents might be lured into taking advantage of the therapy in order to boost their children’s’ brain capacity. Moreover, despite the fact that somatic gene therapy is considered to be safer compared to germ line therapy, ethicists still wonder how sure are the medical practitioners that the genes would not find their way to the gametes (Clarke & Ticehurst, 2006).

Personal Viewpoint

Introduction of gene therapy is important because it results in the treatment and cure of diseases whose medicinal restoration have not yet been discovered. This helps in reducing the mortality rate by some percentage. As much as it is beneficial to the patient, it also has negative impacts on the life of an individual. The germ therapy is the most detrimental between the two types since the treatment involves the gametes. This results in the alteration of the genetic sequence of the generation of the affected individual. As a result, the individual who has not yet been born may die due to the adverse effects of the therapy. The science behind gene therapy fails to draw a line between normality and disease. This is because there are instances when the therapy would be used to enhance one’s physical appearance such as the color of the eyes, which is not ethically and socially right. It would mean that individuals would have the liberty to change their body structures. Hence, the medical field would be forced to draw restrictions between the uses of gene therapy to medical related needs.

Moreover, the religious reception to this kind of treatment is negative. This is because Mother Nature has a reason why the genetic structure of different kinds of people is diverse and made in a specific sequence. Therefore, altering the genetic combination of an individual goes against the patent rights to human forms. In some instances, the therapy conducted results in adverse effects on the immediate individual resulting in diseases such leukemia and thus, increases mortality rates. Other risk factors are also involved with the use of genetic therapy. The outcomes of gene therapy may be multi gene disorders, infection of the immune responses of an individual and the viral vectors may establish toxicity that would result in inflammatory responses (Kelly, 2007). Therefore, gene therapy has both negative and positive effects on an individual’s social and ethical well-being.

References

Clarke, A., & Ticehurst, F. (2006). Living with the genome: Ethical and social aspects of human genetics. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire [England: Palgrave Macmillan.

Giacca, M. (2010). Gene therapy. Dordrecht: Springer.

Kelly, E. B. (2007). Gene therapy. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press.