The use of gene therapy is expected to replace or fix mutated genes to cure diseases. The key advantage of this therapy is that it provides the possibility of treating diseases that cannot be cured by traditional approaches. For example, leukemia, hemophilia, or severe immune deficiencies can be potentially treated (Mayo Clinic, 2017). In addition, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are considered to receive relevant treatment. Jafarlou et al. (2016) state that not only severe diseases but also some moderate conditions can be improved. Patients constantly having pain can receive the opportunity to alleviate their suffering, which is important to make their lives easier and more comfortable. Compared to traditional types of treatment, gene therapy is more likely to offer permanent results (United Nations, 2019). Moreover, some of the genetic changes can be heritable to protect future generations from various illnesses.
However, there are alarming concerns about the misuse of gene therapy. Delhove et al. (2020) show that it can target the wrong cells or cause negative immune system reactions. The key concern is that gene research information can be used to refuse to provide insurance to people with certain diseases. To prevent this, every person engaged in gene research should be responsible for the safety of data. Policymakers, care providers, scientists, and many other persons should be controlled by due diligence (Delhove et al., 2020). Another misuse concern about producing only healthy children can be addressed by strengthening legal and ethical considerations related to gene therapy use. Dunbar et al. (2018) rationally suggest that future research should focus on making gene therapies an integral part of modern treatment approaches, so that patients may benefit from their advantages.
References
Delhove, J., Osenk, I., Prichard, I., & Donnelley, M. (2020). Public acceptability of gene therapy and gene editing for human use: A systematic review. Human Gene Therapy, 31(1-2), 20-46.
Dunbar, C. E., High, K. A., Joung, J. K., Kohn, D. B., Ozawa, K., & Sadelain, M. (2018). Gene therapy comes of age. Science, 359(6372). Web.
Jafarlou, M., Baradaran, B., Saedi, T. A., Jafarlou, V., Shanehbandi, D., Maralani, M., & Othman, F. (2016). An overview of the history, applications, advantages, disadvantages and prospects of gene therapy. J Biol Regul Homeost Agents, 30(2), 315-21. Web.
Mayo Clinic. (2017). Gene therapy.
United Nations. (2019). Playing with genes: The good, the bad and the ugly. Frontier Technology Quarterly. Web.