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Informative Essay On Gene Therapy

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Gene Therapy is something we have all heard about. This new form of technology will change everything doctors say. Not many of us truly know what Gene Therapy is. Do we set the genes down in an office and have them talk about their feelings or do we work on a microscopic level to fix these broken genes. This essay is going to explain just what Gene Therapy is, so that we can understand it on a not so doctoral level. According to the Genetics Home Reference Gene Therapy is “Gene therapy is designed to introduce genetic material into cells to compensate for abnormal genes or to make a beneficial protein. If a mutated gene causes a necessary protein to be faulty or missing, gene therapy may be able to introduce a normal copy of the gene to restore the function of the protein.” These techniques are there to help those abnormal genes to learn a normal pattern of growth so that those genetic disease we see will start to diminish. Gene therapy can be classified into two categories, …show more content…

Currently gene therapy is regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institute of Health (NIH). The FDA looks at safety and control measures associated with gene therapy. Their approval is required for all gene therapy protocols. The NIH also plays a large role in regulation. All gene therapy research that is supported by NIH must be approved. The NIH has a subcommittee, the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC), that reviews gene therapy protocols. The committee is composed of professionals in the science, medical, and law fields. Because of the reputation of the standards set by the NIH, it has also been a precedent for those not supported financially by the NIH to also seek approval in order to satisfy public opinions. They regulate when it is safe to do it, the protocols the doctors have to follow, and the limits in which they must follow for them to be able to do Gene therapy on a

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