gene therapy :: essays research papers

Gene Therapy is hope or disaster for Human Being? ◊Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  DNA determines the placement of amino acids according to DNA sequences. A specific chain of amino acids composes a specific protein that plays the essential functions in the bodies. The defect of the gene, however, results in producing wrong protein; as a result, some part of the bodies abnormally works compared to that of other normal bodies. This is called ?gGenetic Disorder?h. The scientists studied about genetic disorder and suggested an alternative for genetic disorder called ?gGene Therapy?h. Recently, gene therapy is useful to cure other diseases such as a cancer or other. (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/medicine/genetherapy.shtml http://www.asgt.org/ ) ◊History of Gene Therapy David suffered from a rare inherited disease known as adenosine deaminase deficiency (ADA). He spent all his life in a germ-free plastic bubble, because gene causes a lack of enzyme that helps immune system to fight disease from outside. In 1984, he received a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, cells from donator?fs marrow attacked his body. As a result, he was died after a year. This event was a big issue at that time and scientists studied gene therapy to stop this bad event. In 1989, at first, W.French Anderson and a team at the National Institutes of Health gained permission for experiment to inject gene into human beings. In 1900, at first, he applied gene therapy to 4 year girl who suffered from adenosine deaminase deficiency (ADA). He extracted T- lymphocytes from her bloodstream and injected gene-corrected T lymphocytes to her with a normal gene function for ADA; then he repeated a few times more. After a year, she lives as a normal kid. Her treatment was successful. In 1 991, 9 years old girl was applied to this gene therapy and her treatment was also successful. (http://www.frenchanderson.org/history/history.asp, Mapping our genes by Lois Wingerson, Medical Dilemma by Margaret O.Hyde& Elizabeth H. Forsyth. M.D.) ◊Gene Therapy Today, basic theory of gene therapy is that normal gene is inserted into genome to replace disease caused gene. The gene by itself, however, is almost impossible to get the target cell. To deliver gene successfully, a carrier called vector is necessary and virus is good for delivering gene, because virus genetically approaches human genes. Virus, however, can have a potential toxic or respond a massive immune system. In fact, some people died because of that. For this reason, scientists tried to find replacement of virus as vector. The most common virus for vector is adenovirus that causes cold.