Gene Therapy

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

reasoning for lies in our understanding of the genetic basis of human disease. It is probably safe to say that genes we inherit from our parents influence virtually every human disease. A composite of approximately 150,000 individual genes constitutes a human being. Several years ago, an international effort was launched to identify every single human gene. This effort called the Human Genome Project, is well underway and should be completed soon after the turn of the century. Variation in the structure of a person's genes collectively helps define us as individuals such as how tall we are to the color our eyes. Some of this genetic heterogenetics unfortunately leads to the development of disease. The genetics of many diseases are passed from one generation to the next by inheriting a single gene. An example is Huntingdon's disease. Many other diseases and traits are influenced by a collection of genes.
The premise of gene therapy is based on correcting disease at its ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

gene delivery vehicles called vectors, which encapsulate therapeutic genes for delivery to cells. Many of the vectors currently in use are based on attenuated or modified versions of viruses. Over billions of years of evolution, viruses have developed extraordinarily efficient ways of targeting cells and delivering genome, which unfortunately leads to disease. Our challenge is to remove the disease causing components of the virus and insert recombinant genes that will be therapeutic to the patient. The modified viruses cannot replicate in the patient, but do retain the ability to efficiently deliver genetic material. Another strategy is based on synthetic vectors in which complexes of ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.

CITE THIS PAGE: