Benefits of Germline Gene Therapy
The main goal of gene therapy in general is to cure people with genetic diseases by using synthetic methods to change their genomes. The results so far have been successful. Many patients have been treated using gene threrapy.
The benefit of using Germline Gene therapy over other kinds of genetic modification is that the process is permanent and is also hereditary. Previously gene therapy was not permanent, eventually the new gene would be killed by your body's immune system. Up to this point, genetic modification could not be inherited by the offspring either, as the new gene only exists in the cells that require it, not in other cells such as gametes.
Germline Gene therapy only works on a fertilised egg but the process is permanent. This is because the change is in a patients genome, not just the cell that requires the new gene. With this method not everyone needs to have Germline Gene Therapy. Because these people have an immunity to these diseases the are more likely to live and pass on their gene to the next generation compared to someone who does not have the gene. By doing a little more work and making implanted gene dominant over other genes this process could happen faster.
Many diseases and deficiency have been cured by gene therapy already in animals with similar genetic structure to humans. Further experiments have been tested treat disorders in humans.
In 1990 Drs. Anderson, Blaese and Kenneth Culver used a virus to successfully correct Adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency in two girls. The patients blood stem cells were removed and exposed to the virus which delivered a functional gene and then returned to the patients. Both patients immune functions improved to the point where the no longer need to be further exposed to the virus.
Hereditary blindness - especially degenerative blindness where the vision degrades over time - are being treated with gene therapy. Previous testing on animal models such as dogs and mice have resulted on promising reactions. Slowing down or reversing vision loss have been achieved in experiments, the eye being an easy medium to alter. The retina is easily accessed and partially protected by the immune system, viruses do not easily spread to other parts of the body reducing the likelihood of errors.
Right now, the U.S prohibits testing of any Germ-line gene therapy techniques on humans. But, animals are continually being used for futher experiments. Tests on monkeys have resulted in an immunity to HIV, an early stage of the sexually transmitted disease AIDS. The group recieved the altered gene and was then exposed to the disease. The monkeys weren't affected because their bodies have developed an immunity. Testing has begun on other infections such as malaria, ebola and hepatitis.
The benefit of using Germline Gene therapy over other kinds of genetic modification is that the process is permanent and is also hereditary. Previously gene therapy was not permanent, eventually the new gene would be killed by your body's immune system. Up to this point, genetic modification could not be inherited by the offspring either, as the new gene only exists in the cells that require it, not in other cells such as gametes.
Germline Gene therapy only works on a fertilised egg but the process is permanent. This is because the change is in a patients genome, not just the cell that requires the new gene. With this method not everyone needs to have Germline Gene Therapy. Because these people have an immunity to these diseases the are more likely to live and pass on their gene to the next generation compared to someone who does not have the gene. By doing a little more work and making implanted gene dominant over other genes this process could happen faster.
Many diseases and deficiency have been cured by gene therapy already in animals with similar genetic structure to humans. Further experiments have been tested treat disorders in humans.
In 1990 Drs. Anderson, Blaese and Kenneth Culver used a virus to successfully correct Adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency in two girls. The patients blood stem cells were removed and exposed to the virus which delivered a functional gene and then returned to the patients. Both patients immune functions improved to the point where the no longer need to be further exposed to the virus.
Hereditary blindness - especially degenerative blindness where the vision degrades over time - are being treated with gene therapy. Previous testing on animal models such as dogs and mice have resulted on promising reactions. Slowing down or reversing vision loss have been achieved in experiments, the eye being an easy medium to alter. The retina is easily accessed and partially protected by the immune system, viruses do not easily spread to other parts of the body reducing the likelihood of errors.
Right now, the U.S prohibits testing of any Germ-line gene therapy techniques on humans. But, animals are continually being used for futher experiments. Tests on monkeys have resulted in an immunity to HIV, an early stage of the sexually transmitted disease AIDS. The group recieved the altered gene and was then exposed to the disease. The monkeys weren't affected because their bodies have developed an immunity. Testing has begun on other infections such as malaria, ebola and hepatitis.
Negatives of Germline Gene Therapy
The biggest controversy with Germline Gene Therapy is the ethics of changing a human embryo. Though test on human cells have only used stem cells, there have been disturbing experiments which would be disastrous if they were allowed to continue. To biology scientists, stems cells are their paper. Every human cell was originally a stem cell, so, theoretically, with the right chemicals and stimulus, lab grown stem cells can grow into anything including sex cells. Essentially, scientists are keeping humans on petri dishes. Scientists have extracted a cow's nucleus and transferred it into a human egg cell then placed the fertilised egg into another cow. Though the egg only lived for seven days, it brings up the possibility of cross breeding humans with other animals, which is a chilling thought.
As stated Kathi E. Hanna, if a gene fails to activate or is not properly introduced, the child's condition might be worse than if the parents did not have the gene transfer. Even more disturbing is if the child has partial or multiple copies of a gene. We already know that down syndrome is caused by having an excess chromosome in the 21st pair. However, having an extra gene is more subtle and less likely to be recognised, the error caused can be severe or even lethal and the first signs might not be known until after the child have been born or well into adulthood when those failed genes have already been passed on to future generations.
The Human genome is vast, we do not know all the genes required to create a human or how each gene affects one another. Current experiments have only involved single gene transfers. By adding or changing many genes at once a single mistake could be passed down for generations before such effect could take place because of its required conditions. By removing certain genetic diseases scientists can also extinct genes. Sickle cell anaemia is a diseases that causes cells to grow long and thin rather than doughnut shaped. Having both alleles for sickle cell anaemia causes the child to only have sickle shaped cells, easily clogging up the blood stream. However only having one allele for sickle cell anaemia gives the child a resistance to malaria.
Another point brought up by Germline Gene Therapy is thoroughly explored in the 1997 film Gattaca. The movie depicts a future where parents are able to choose what kind of traits they want their child to have. In the film, most people become very biased against those who have inferior genes, the film calls this genesim. Our modern day calls this "designer babies", where parents with high income can chose how they would like their child to turn out. However those parent who cannot afford such procedures can have children who are treated as inferior. By leaving everything to chance, no such discrimination can occur.
As stated Kathi E. Hanna, if a gene fails to activate or is not properly introduced, the child's condition might be worse than if the parents did not have the gene transfer. Even more disturbing is if the child has partial or multiple copies of a gene. We already know that down syndrome is caused by having an excess chromosome in the 21st pair. However, having an extra gene is more subtle and less likely to be recognised, the error caused can be severe or even lethal and the first signs might not be known until after the child have been born or well into adulthood when those failed genes have already been passed on to future generations.
The Human genome is vast, we do not know all the genes required to create a human or how each gene affects one another. Current experiments have only involved single gene transfers. By adding or changing many genes at once a single mistake could be passed down for generations before such effect could take place because of its required conditions. By removing certain genetic diseases scientists can also extinct genes. Sickle cell anaemia is a diseases that causes cells to grow long and thin rather than doughnut shaped. Having both alleles for sickle cell anaemia causes the child to only have sickle shaped cells, easily clogging up the blood stream. However only having one allele for sickle cell anaemia gives the child a resistance to malaria.
Another point brought up by Germline Gene Therapy is thoroughly explored in the 1997 film Gattaca. The movie depicts a future where parents are able to choose what kind of traits they want their child to have. In the film, most people become very biased against those who have inferior genes, the film calls this genesim. Our modern day calls this "designer babies", where parents with high income can chose how they would like their child to turn out. However those parent who cannot afford such procedures can have children who are treated as inferior. By leaving everything to chance, no such discrimination can occur.