Gene Therapy

Think about the last time someone told you, you look like your mother or father. Did it mean that you have the same hair or eye color, or maybe the same dimple on the right side of your face when you smile? It could be anyone of these things and because of heredity it is most likely true. We inherit genes from both of our parents and in those genes they hold all the information needed to build and maintain our cells and then passes that genetic information to the next generation.

Each of us are made up of cells and each of these cells has a specific job to do within our body.

Damage to our DNA is known as a mutation or a defective and can have lifelong effects on our bodies. It can cause diseases like cancer, cystic fibrosis, blood disorders, heart disease and other conditions.

History of:

The concept of gene therapy came about in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Back then it was proposed to be called “gene Surgery” for treating inherited diseases caused by defective genes. Merriam Webster defines Therapy as “therapeutic treatment”

Gene therapy can be a future promise for cures for many diseases. It is a medical treatment that until recently didn’t seem possible. It has the potential to eliminate and prevent hereditary diseases like hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, heart disease, aids, and cancer. When I think of these types of diseases my mind immediately thinks about an adult, but what about children and gene therapy? What are their risks and can they be cured? My plan is to take a better look at what science is doing to better understand what they are doing for the children to prevent or eliminate their illnesses.

To begin we need to take a look at when gene theropy started and what it actually is.

References

<a href="http://science.jrank.org/pages/2959/Gene-Therapy-history-gene-therapy.html">Gene Therapy - The History Of Gene Therapy</a>