PHIL 347 Week 7 Course Project: Argumentative Paper - Download Paper To Get A Pass

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Argumentative Essay Gene therapy is the use of human DNA to treat diseases. This is done through the use of therapeutic DNA to the patient’s cells. While it is still in an experimental phase, the... findings are staggering. It has been introduced into the medical field, and patients have the opportunity to partake in this experimental therapy. This type of therapy, while innovative for its time, should only be used in treatment rather than modification. While there are some ethical issues and potential risks within gene therapy, the success stories outweigh these issues. Gene therapy is an experimental technique used to treat or prevent different types of illnesses and diseases. Gene Therapy’s first trial occurred in 1991. There were two patients involved and they were being treated for Adenosine Deaminase (ADA). ADA is a disorder that weakens the immune system and response. Therefore, people with this issue have a very hard time fighting off even mild infections. One patient in the study showed a significant improvement in the recovery process, while the other patient’s recovery was more modest compared to the other. While this was just a trial experiment it has led the pathway to more innovations in this type of therapy. After this trial occurred, “Adenovirus type 2 (AD-2) and a retrovirus called murine (mouse) leukemia virus (MuLV) have been used in more than 90 percent of all gene therapy trials to date” (Panno, 2005). The way Gene Therapy happens is by the insertion of a gene into someone’s genome to replace the faulty one (Gene Therapy, 2015). There are multiple ways this can be done: viral transfer (most common and most successful), injections of naked DNA, chemical methods (lipoplexes), and physical methods (electroporation). The use of viruses is the cornerstone in gene therapy (Patil et al., 2018). While there are various methods to insert genes there are currently one two types of therapy: somatic gene therapy and germline gene therapy. Somatic gene therapy involves introducing a "good" gene into targeted cells to treat patients, while germline gene therapy involves modifying the genes in an egg or sperm cell (Patil et al., 2018). Argument While Gene Therapy is still in the experimental phase, this specialty is rapidly growing in the medical field, and the success rates and stories are ground breaking. This type of therapy is used to help treat and combat many illnesses and disease such as: Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (ADA-SCID), Chronic Granulomatous Disorder (CGD), Hemophilia, Congenital blindness, Cancer, Neurodegenerative disorders, Parkinson’s, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, and much more. Studies have shown that 6 out of 9 patients who participated in this type of therapy with a degenerative disease called chloridemia have improved vision after a virus was used to deliver a functional REP1 gene (Genetic Science Learning Center, 2012). Adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency has also been successfully treated with the use of gene therapy. Cancer patients who participate in gene therapy have their immune cells removed and are treated with a virus that were genetically altered, so that the body recognizes it as a protein that sits on the surface of the cancer cells. Going in depth there are currently three types of trials for cancer patients with gene therapy: Gene Expression Volume (GEV), Gene Transfer, and Immunotherapy. They all actively try to kill the cancer cells while preserving the good healthy cells. The GEV approach uses viruses to destroy the cancer cells, and are engineered to contain specific genes that will produce proteins to cause the cells to die. In the gene transfer trial, they introduce a foreign gene directly into the cancer cells and surrounding tissues, depriving the cells of nutrients that help keep them alive. Lastly, Immunotherapy is an T-cell therapy, which is used to help enhance the body’s natural fighting abilities. The gene injected is specific and its main goal is to seek out the tumors cells and generate to make more cancer killing cells. Gene therapy has also been working on the ability to cure patients with HIV/AIDS (Patil et al., 2018). Some experiments were done by trying to alter the T-cells in patients by injecting those altered cells. This experiment showed that the bodies regular T-cells destroyed the altered ones, however, the patients cell numbers were much lower than previously. Researchers believe that after being on strong antiviral medication for a year or more it can help reduce the body’s numbers to the point that the body itself will be able to control the remaining HIV cells in the body. Counterargument Countering this argument Gene Therapy comes with a big price tag attached with some ethical issues. It raises controversy because some people believe that it involves making changes to the body’s original sequences. Some questions people ask: How can the good and bad uses of the therapy be eminent? Who decides which traits are normal and how do we constitute a disability or disorder? Such as, taking on the role of “Playing God.” Will the high costs of this therapy make it available only to people who can afford it and let it be inaccessible to others? For example, Gene Therapy can have a wide range of costs ranging from $500,000-$1.5M. Could this eventually cause society to be less accepting of people who are different? Should people be allowed to use gene therapy to enhance original human traits such as height, intelligence, athletic ability, and etc.? (Patil et al., 2018). These are the types of issues and questions people have regarding this type of therapy. Conclusion Gene therapy is the use of human DNA to treat diseases. This is done through the use of therapeutic DNA to the patient’s cells. While it is still in an experimental phase, the findings are staggering. It has been introduced into the medical field and patients have the opportunity to partake in this experimental therapy. This type of therapy while innovative for its time should only be used in treatment rather than modification. While there are some ethical issues and potential risks within gene therapy, the success stories outweigh these issues. References Gene Therapy. (2015, September 30). Center for Genetics Education. Retrieved October 9, 2018 from http://www.genetics.edu.au/publications-and-resources/facts-sheets/fact-sheet-23- gene-therapy Genetic Science Learning Center. (2012, December 1) Gene Therapy Successes. Retrieved October 03, 2018, from https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/genetherapy/success/ Ingusci, S., Cattaneo, S., Verlengia, G., Zucchini, S., & Simonato, M. (2019). A Matter of Genes: The Hurdles of Gene Therapy for Epilepsy. Epilepsy Currents, 19(1), 38–43. https://doi- org.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/1535759718822846 Patil, S. R., Al-Zoubi, I. A., Raghuram P. H., Misra, N., Yadav, N., & Alam, M. K. (2018). Gene Therapy: A Comprehensive Review. International Medical Journal, 25(6), 361–364. Retrieved from https://chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/login? url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=ccm&AN=133613082&site=eds-live&scope=site Panno, J. (2005). Gene Therapy. Treating Disease by Repairing Genes - PDF Free Download. Retrieved April 3, 2019, from https://epdf.tips/gene-therapy-treating-disease-by- repairing-genes.html Sharma, D. C. (2001, June 03). Indian group develops tools for oral cancer diagnosis. Retrieved April 5, 2019, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470204500003168?via=ihub [Show More]

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