Spirituality/Medicine Interface Project
Gene Therapy: Science Fiction or Reality?
Abstract
Gene therapy has been proposed to be the modern medical cure for multiple diseases such as cancer, genetic disorders, as well as a potentially potent mediator of behavior. In the early days of gene therapy, the primary purpose was to develop therapies that would cure monogenetic diseases. However, with rapid advances in DNA technologies, specifically in the discovery of genes associated with disease pathologies, gene therapy strategies have expanded to include more complex diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders. Furthermore, due to new developments in gene therapy vehicles, novel gene therapy strategies have begun to encompass not only curative therapies but also palliative therapies. Currently, new roads in this research have also initiated debates as to whether behaviors such as promiscuity1 and alcoholism2 should be included into the candidate disorders for gene therapy application. Thus, in addition to extending or improving life, gene therapy may also allow manipulation of the distinct differences between nature and nurture and thus not only affect disorders of the body, but potentially those of the mind as well.This content is limited to qualifying members.
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