Bookraft

Gene Therapy is often held out as the promised return for ever more complex and costly DNA and Genetic research. Yet the actual application of Gene Therapy for the past twenty years has been quite mixed. Judge for yourself based on how the basic methodology works on its chances of success.

The core idea is to cure hereditary and auto-immuse diseases in which missing proteins and enzymes which are not being produced by the body borrow from external sources for supplying the missing genetic information. One main method is to have DNA slotted into various viruses which then are injected into the patient. The result is the virus invades the patients cells but releases the missing DNA information, so now at last the missing protein or enzyme can be produced -hopefully curing the patient.

However, a series of MIT Technology Review articles describes how tenuous and risky this process is. For example, the body often detcts the viruses and treats them as enemy ... and so after initial success the body "rejects" the therapy. Sometimes there are unintended consquences or collateral damage. The article describes how long its taken and at what great costs Gene Therapy has been applied. But the successes are right at the margin - the few cases of successful application are in relation to the rarest of diseases. This article raises the fundamental issue - can genetic development work like this hope to deliver return for the billions spent on research in the field. Or will the understanding of Gene Therapy mechanisms lead to insight in more productive Genetic research. The MIT article does not flinch from raising these issues.