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Chapter 11 Sts

This document discusses the history and current state of gene therapy. It describes how gene therapy works to treat genetic diseases by replacing defective genes. The first approved gene therapy clinical trial took place in 1990, and the first commercial gene therapy product was approved in 2003. Gene therapy has shown some successes in treating cancers and genetic disorders, but is still considered experimental. Ethical issues around gene therapy include whether it is playing God to genetically alter organisms, as well as concerns about stem cell sourcing and impacts on biodiversity. More research is still needed to develop safe and effective gene therapy procedures.

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107 views

Chapter 11 Sts

This document discusses the history and current state of gene therapy. It describes how gene therapy works to treat genetic diseases by replacing defective genes. The first approved gene therapy clinical trial took place in 1990, and the first commercial gene therapy product was approved in 2003. Gene therapy has shown some successes in treating cancers and genetic disorders, but is still considered experimental. Ethical issues around gene therapy include whether it is playing God to genetically alter organisms, as well as concerns about stem cell sourcing and impacts on biodiversity. More research is still needed to develop safe and effective gene therapy procedures.

Uploaded by

Cute kitty
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CHAPTER

GENE THERAPY
11 (Stem Cells)

OBJECTIVES

After studying the chapter, the students shall be able to:


1. Describe the gene therapy and its various forms
2. Assess the issue’s potential benefits and detriments to global health

PRESENTATION OF CONTENTS

Gene Therapy

Gene therapy is the method of inserting genes or nucleic acid into cells as a drug to
treat genetic diseases. In 1972, Theodore Friedman and Richard Roblin proposed that
people with genetic disorders can be treated by replacing defective DNA with good DNA.

Figure 17. Gene Augmentation Therapy

In 1985, Dr. W. French Anderson and Dr. Michael Blasse worked together to show
that cells of patients with Adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency can be corrected in tissue
culture. In 1990, the first approved gene therapy clinical research took place at the National
Institute of Health (NIH) under the team of Dr. Anderson. It was conducted on a four-year-old
girl who had ADA deficiency. In 1993, the first somatic treatment that produced a permanent
genetic change was performed.

The first commercial gene therapy product Gendicine was approved in China in 2003
for the treatment of certain cancers. Due to some clinical successes since 2006, gene
therapy gained greater attention from researchers but was still considered as an
experimental technique.

Science, Technology and Society | 1


In 2016, the Committee for Medical Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the
European Medicines Agency (EMA) endorsed the gene therapy treatment called Strimvelis
that was approved by the European Commission in June 2018.

Some studies transplanted genes to speed up the destruction of cancer cells. Gene
or cell therapies have emerged as realistic prospects for the treatment of cancer, and involve
the delivery of genetic information to a tumor to facilitate the production of therapeutic
proteins. This area of gene therapy still needs further studies before an efficient and safe
gene therapy procedure is adopted (Gene Revolution: Issues and Impacts, n.d., Wirth et al.,
2013).

Ethnical Issues in Genetic Engineering

Various concerns on genetic engineering arise, making gene therapy and GMOs very
controversial innovations in science and technology. Others support that it is unethical for
humans to have a hand in genetically altering and engineering organisms. There are
instances when genetic engineering has caused severe repercussions to public health. Until
today, cloning is still unacceptable to many for it violates the belief that only a higher being
should be responsible for the existence of organisms on earth. There are also ethical and
normal issues on stem cell therapy as it makes use of stem cells sourced from human
embryos and thus destroy them. These concerns regarding genetic engineering and gene
therapy are rooted in the question of whether or not humans are playing gods in the
alteration of genes of organisms.

Genetic engineering also poses problems in agriculture. Hence, there is a need to


study the ecological processes applied to agricultural production systems. Agroecology is a
field of study that presents novel management approaches on farming systems that may
help address concerns regarding the effect of GMOs on biodiversity and the health of the
consumers. Further researches as well as clinical experiments to outline functional
mechanisms, predictive approaches, patient-related studies, and upcoming challenges
should be done to address existing problems in the development of and to acquire future
perspectives in gene therapy.

Science, Technology and Society | 2


ACTIVITY 11

Name: __________________________________ Date: _________________

Course/Yr./Block: ________________________ Score: ________________

PROS AND CONS


Direction: Complete the table below regarding on the effects of gene therapy to health and to
the society.

PROS CONS
Human health
Society
1. What do you think about gene therapy?
2. Do you think the Food and Drug Administration should or should not approve gene
therapy treatments for use in the Philippines?
3. Do you think the government should or should not fund scientific researches on changing
the genes of unborn babies that aims to improve their characteristics such as intelligence or
physical traits such as athletic ability or appearance

Science, Technology and Society | 3

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