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Human Gene Therapy

Ethical Issues

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Commonly asked questions regarding genetherapy:

How can good and bad uses of gene therapy bedistinguished?

Who decides which traits are normal and which

constitute a disability or disorder?Will the high costs of gene therapy make itavailable only to the wealthy?

Could the widespread use of gene therapy make

society less accepting of people who are different?

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Research Issues

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Scientific and ethical discussions about genetherapy began many years ago, but it was notuntil 1990 that the first approved human gene

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However, the success of the therapy wastentative, because along with the gene

thera the atients also continued

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How do researchers determinewhich disorders or traits warrant

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Unfortunately, the distinction between genetherapy for disease genes and gene therapy toenhance desired traits, such as height or eye

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Even though gene therapy for the correction ofpotentially socially unacceptable traits, or the

enhancement of desirable ones, may improve the

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Some of the problems of gene

therapy include:

Short-lived nature of gene therapy - Before genetherapy can become a permanent cure for any

condition, the therapeutic DNA introduced into targetcells must remain functional and the cells containingthe therapeutic DNA must be long-lived and stable.Problems with integrating therapeutic DNA into the

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Immune response - Anytime a foreign object isintroduced into human tissues, the immunesystem has evolved to attack the invader. The

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Multigene disorders - Conditions or disorders thatarise from mutations in a single gene are the bestcandidates for gene therapy. Unfortunately, some

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Chance of inducing a tumor (insertionalmutagenesis) - If the DNA is integrated in thewrong place in the genome, for example in a

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Religious concerns - Religious groups andcreationists may consider the alteration of an

individual's genes as tampering or corrupting'

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Ethical Concerns of Genetic

Enhancement

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Genetic enhancement raises a host of ethical,

legal and social questions. What is meant bynormal? When is a genetic intervention

" " " "

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That is, will genetic enhancement be availableto all or only to the few who can afford topurchase it using their personal finances?

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Some have speculated that genetic

enhancement might affect human evolution.Philosophical and religious objections also have

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Geneticists have countered that the power tocontrol human evolution is unlikely, as the

evolution of the human species is a nonrandom

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Ethical and social concerns center not so

much on the improvement of traits foralleviation of deficiencies or on the

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Although the distinctions between cure and

enhancement might be obvious to some,they can lose meaning in medical practice

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Prepared by:

Ms. Christine T. Manansala

Q3A BS- Biology