Gene Therapy

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Gene therapy (as the diagram shows above) is the process in which cells are removed from a patient, changed, and replaced in the patient in attempts to treat a genetic disease. This fairly new form of treatment continues to advance everyday. There are many challenges involved with gene therapy that include sending the gene to the right place, switching it on, bypassing the immune systems natural response to shut down intruding cells, and ensuring the new gene doesn't hinder the function of other genes. These challenges have hindered scientists from having success with gene therapy. Although many people have a positive outlook on the future of this technology, it is also debated because of previous failures and the ethics involved in the treatment.