What is Gene Therapy?

Gene therapy is an experimental technique that replaces faulty genes to prevent diseases. It is hoped that in the future that this technique will be a successful cure to Genetically Inherited Diseases. Gene Therapy is a process that envloves doctors inserting genes into a patients cell’s instead of using medication or surgery to prevent or cure the disease. The process’ that are being tested include replacing mutated genes with healthy copies of the gene; Inactivating a mutated gene that doesn’t function properly or introducing a new gene into the body that will help fight the disease.
 
Gene therapy is still in process of becoming a readily available treatment. It looks promising for many diseases such as some types of cancer, and certain viral infections. Study’s are still being performed to make sure that this technique is safe and effective. Gene Therapy is being created for diseases that currently have no cure. It is the dream of many scientists that eventually gene therapy will be created as a cure for many                                                                                          inheritable diseases.

There has already been one successful gene transplant that occurred in 1990. Two girls were cured of a rare blood disorder which was caused by a defective gene. Doctors and scientists used the process called Gene Transfer Therapy. Copies of the deformed gene were isolated and then they inserted the healthy gene into the bone marrow cells that were taken from the girls. After gene modified bone marrow was then inserted back into the girls’ bodies. This treatment was successful and both girls recovered and stayed healthy. This was the first time that a genetic disorder was cured by Gene Therapy.