Stereotypes Of Gene Therapy

Gene therapy is being currently developed in labs across the world, with the goal of eventually being able to alter a person’s genetic make up effectively and consistently. If the subject has a missing or defective gene, scientists are able to inactivate the mutated gene and transplant a normal healthy one. Should the mutated gene be responsible for the lack of production to a particular protein, gene therapy may be able to restore normal function of the polypeptide and essential save the cell and perhaps the entire organism. In order to affect the human genome, scientists intravenously inject a carrier virus to “infect” the cell with the genetically engineered gene. There are two subtypes of gene therapy. Somatic gene therapy, where sections