Gene Therapy:
The Future of Modern Medicine
Although gene therapy has made progress over the year and will continue to do so, there has been debate surrounding the scientific phenomenon.
Issues
Although gene therapy has made progress over the year and will continue to do so, there has been debate surrounding the scientific phenomenon.
SOCIAL ISSUES
Gene therapy raises many questions. Because gene therapy is altering genes within the body to treat illnesses, it brings up the question if gene therapy should be able to treat anything else other than a disease. The concern over this is people will begin to use gene therapy to alter human traits such as intelligence or height. That potential problem will lead to the other issue tied to this, which is discrimination. If in the future gene therapy will be used to alter traits, then there is a fear there will be hate against those who are different. The ones who are different will be those who haven't gone through the process of altering themselves to fit society's standards. There could be further discrimination if gene therapy can only be an option open to the wealthy.
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ETHICAL ISSUES
Germline gene therapy specifically has received controversy over the worry that it may harm the fetus in some unknown way. Because this child has not come into the world yet, it does not have the option of choosing whether or not if he or she wants the gene therapy treatment.
Furthermore, it raises concerns over mankind starting to take on the role of God. There is debate if altering one's genes is messing with nature and if people have the right to do so in the first place.
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But more than that is the question of who decides what trait should be considered a disability and needs to be treated by gene therapy and what is a normal trait? For example, if someone had dwarfism, which causes them to be significantly shorter than the average person, would it be ethical to use gene therapy to treat them? So in the future when gene therapy has left the research stage and becomes a more common treatment, there has to be guidelines on what disability/illness should receive gene therapy.
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So there are two sides to this issue. On one side, it could greatly benefit mankind by treating diseases that were once thought to be irreversible. But on the other hand, there is speculation of society taking it too far.
LEGAL ISSUES
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Because there have been some incidences where patients have died during the clinical trials, there have been steps taken in order to protect the health and the safety of the patients. There are stricter regulations and protocols in place to do so. Here in the U.S., the Department of Health and Human Services are the ones that overlook the clinical trials that occur. The Office for Human Research Protections and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also have a role in overlooking the trials. Furthermore, it is mandatory by the Office for Human Research Protections that in any research where there are human subjects, there has to be review and approval by the Institutional Review Boards. The Institutional Review Boards must also calculate the risks regarding the patients, approve the protocols, and approve the consent forms. Also, the National Institutes of Health are the ones that oversee clinical trials federally funded.
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