The Debate Surrounding Genetic Engineering

Paper Summary:

This paper provides insight into genetic engineering and gene therapy, the changing of an organism's genes in order to remove unwanted characteristics within an organism or to add other characteristics. In particular, it examines how genetic engineering techniques can be used to identify and treat certain diseases as well as aid doctors in creating custom-made drugs for specific patients. It shows that while the current application of genetic engineering on humans is limited, the hope is that genetic engineering will be able to treat many common diseases. It also describes the controversial issues surrounding its use with doctors, ethicists, religious groups and politicians and examines why science should be careful when applying this technology.

From the Paper:

"The use of gene therapy began on September 14, 1990 and was use to treat a four-year old girl who was suffering from adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency. This is a fatal disease that attacks the immune system. The problem was that her cells were not creating the ADA enzyme necessary for the immune functions of the cells. Doctors at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda Maryland removed blood cells from the patent and modified them with a viral vector from normal ADA genes. When the blood was infused back into the girl's blood stream, the ADA gene programmed the cells to produce the missing enzyme. This helped the girl to develop a resistance to infection, albeit temporarily (Isasi, 2002)."

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