Gene Therapy Term Paper

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gene therapy. The writer looks at its history, its use and the possible problems it presents. There were four sources used to complete this paper.

Medical science has done amazing things in recent years. Through the use of research the average lifespan is longer than ever before, and the quality of life continues to rise. Recently it seems there is nothing medical science cannot make happen. Today the world stands at the edge of some of the most exciting technology than it ever dreamed possible. Gene therapy is a reality and the world currently debates whether or not it wants to take the leap. There are some who are excited and believe it will save lives and provide cures for things that used to mean long suffering death, while others fear it is going to open the world to clones and untested waters. The religious sectors believe gene therapy is playing God and that is not something they are willing to dabble in. Gene therapy is a promising new venture in the medical world, but one that must be tempered with common sense as well as logic if it is to become the success it is capable of being.

THE PLUS SIDE

There are many positive aspects to the recently developed science called gene therapy. The manipulation of genes promises to allow the curing of diseases, as well as the growing of organs. It could mean the end of thousands people dying each year waiting for organs that never come. It could mean children no longer suffering, becoming more and more crippled with time and dying before ever reaching adulthood. It could mean many positive things. There had been some disappointment in the area of cures as research failed to replicate earlier studies, but a recent break though ion France cured four "bubble boys" of their life threatening conditions, which re-sparked the race to explore the science completely.

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Several companies are using gene therapy in human trials for cancer right now and the success looks promising thus far (Elias, 2002).

Gene therapy research aims to cure everything from simple, one-gene defects like hemophilia to complicated diseases like cancer by injecting helpful DNA into patients.

For some patients, gene therapy is their last chance (Elias, 2002). "

The programs are reporting success with 2,200 patients being involved in almost 599 gene programs across the United States alone. While it has not been approved yet for sale the human trials are working to build evidence of its need (Elias, 2002).

THE NEGATIVE SIDE

While it looks very promising on paper there are many concerns about gene therapy and what it will mean to mankind, physically, emotionally and economically (Risk, 2002).

Clinical trials have been halted in the U.S. after trials in France caused several deaths in young people from causes other than the disease they started out with (Schieszer, 1996). One-18-year-old died of a several gene reaction that occurred when the gene therapy was started and others have developed leukemia where there was none there to begin with (Schieszer, 1996). Gene therapy is uncharted territory in every sense of the word and there are many things that are not known about the long-term effect of using it. Medical scientists are working to discover all the things that might go wrong but there is a huge financial push to get the therapy through the various hoops and approved for use (Schieszer, 1996). There are many drug companies lined up at the gates waiting to jump into the race to produce and sell gene therapy to the public. The financial greed threatens to outweigh the possible good that the therapy can accomplish. If the financial gain becomes….....

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