Advantages of Gene Therapy
- One of the benefits of somatic gene therapy is that it can be utilized in a way that can possibly cure patients that are severely ill. It can also prevent the onset of devastating illnesses.
- Although this is experimental, medical professionals generally use the best treatment methods available. Using this process, it promotes the freedom of scientific inquiry and the freedom of knowledge.
- Gene therapy, when successful, can have a number of advantages in comparison to drug therapy .For example, this therapy can provide a cure rather than ease the patient's symptoms.
If gene therapy targets the reproductive cells of carriers of such genetic disorders as Parkinson’s disease (shown in both photos) it is possible that any future generations the carrier goes on to would be free of the defective gene.On a bigger scale, the disease could possibly be wiped out completely.
Disadvantages of Gene Therapy
- Due to the fact that this is still a new scientific breakthrough, the safety concerns outweigh quite a bit of the procedures. The current understanding of gene therapy is based on theory rather than fact.
- There are numerous ethical concerns, as well as religious and moral concerns.
- Concerning the vector: once is is administered, there is no way for certain to tell if the vector will travel to the intended location. This creates even more damage to the genetic structure and cause more damage to the patient.
- In clinical trials already carried out the effects of the treatment have only been short-lived. To achieve long term results much more research is needed.