Imagine living in a world where there was a cure for cancer and genetic diseases. Although it may sound impossible, it has already been done. With gene therapy, which is a technique where a gene that is either defective or missing is replaced with healthy ones through genetic engineering, doctors are able to treat people with cancer and immunodeficiencies.
Immunodeficiencies are, “Rare but life-threatening genetic diseases that severely compromise the integrity and function of the immune system” (Kumar et al. 1-2). Children born with these diseases have such a weak immune system that they usually die in the first few years after birth because their body cannot fight off what would usually pose no threat to a healthy child. One of these diseases …show more content…
Recent clinical trials showed positive results for many different types of cancer. In one clinical trial, gene therapy was used to decrease the size of the cancer cells, so it could be removed three weeks later. Dr. Michael Blaese and Dr. French Anderson led a study that is proving the safety of gene therapy in cancer (Rosenberg 458-462). Another clinical trial has shown positive results for five out of nine metastatic patients treated by Morgan Et al. who responded positively to gene therapy treatment. A very recent clinical trial byt Rapoport et al. reported safety and efficiency of NY-ESO which is a “human derived, affinity enhanced TCR that recognizes a peptide shared by two CTAs” (Kumar et al. 8). In other words, the gene therapy was successful on the patients. Although you can not be treated for cancer with gene therapy the same way you can use radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery, it is a new technology that will one day be able to cure cancer as easily as …show more content…
One thing is the amount of people who have died due to clinical trials for gene therapy. There is one study three patients died during phase one of a gene therapy trial for brain cancer. Patient three died after being discharged from a treating center for phase one study 15 days after starting 30 mg dose of gene therapy (Brown and Lillicrap 1133-40). However, in every medical trial there are going to be loss of lives in order to cure the disease/cancer/immunodeficiency. In another study that used adenovirus as a delivery vehicle the levels of inflammatory cytokines increase, the high vector doses are elevated more than 50-fold and result in hepatotoxicity. Again, every clinical study will have situations where things go
Immunodeficiencies are, “Rare but life-threatening genetic diseases that severely compromise the integrity and function of the immune system” (Kumar et al. 1-2). Children born with these diseases have such a weak immune system that they usually die in the first few years after birth because their body cannot fight off what would usually pose no threat to a healthy child. One of these diseases …show more content…
Recent clinical trials showed positive results for many different types of cancer. In one clinical trial, gene therapy was used to decrease the size of the cancer cells, so it could be removed three weeks later. Dr. Michael Blaese and Dr. French Anderson led a study that is proving the safety of gene therapy in cancer (Rosenberg 458-462). Another clinical trial has shown positive results for five out of nine metastatic patients treated by Morgan Et al. who responded positively to gene therapy treatment. A very recent clinical trial byt Rapoport et al. reported safety and efficiency of NY-ESO which is a “human derived, affinity enhanced TCR that recognizes a peptide shared by two CTAs” (Kumar et al. 8). In other words, the gene therapy was successful on the patients. Although you can not be treated for cancer with gene therapy the same way you can use radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery, it is a new technology that will one day be able to cure cancer as easily as …show more content…
One thing is the amount of people who have died due to clinical trials for gene therapy. There is one study three patients died during phase one of a gene therapy trial for brain cancer. Patient three died after being discharged from a treating center for phase one study 15 days after starting 30 mg dose of gene therapy (Brown and Lillicrap 1133-40). However, in every medical trial there are going to be loss of lives in order to cure the disease/cancer/immunodeficiency. In another study that used adenovirus as a delivery vehicle the levels of inflammatory cytokines increase, the high vector doses are elevated more than 50-fold and result in hepatotoxicity. Again, every clinical study will have situations where things go