gene therapy

• • Genetic diseases are caused by mutations in DNA.
  • Gene therapy is a technology that utilises the principles of genetic engineering to treat/ cure these diseases.
• • Somatic cell gene therapy is where body cells are genetically engineered with the healthy allele.
  • These cells are then inserted into the body where they should function as normal.
  • Drawbacks include the difficulty of genetically engineering animal cells, getting alleles to express themselves but most importantly that it is a temporary solution to a genetic disease. 
• • Germ line gene therapy is where you target the sperm/eggs or embryo for genetic engineering.
  • This has the benefit of being a permanent solution.
  • Drawbacks include the unknown effects of genetically engineering human embryos.