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Chapter 11: Gene Theraphy

Back to: GE008: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY

CHAPTER 11

GENE THERAPY

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this chapter, the students should be able to:

1. describe gene therapy and its various forms;

2. discuss the prevalence of gene therapy in daily life; and
3. explore the opportunities that may be opened by gene therapy in the
future.

The last technology that will be tackled in this book is gene technology. In
the previous chapter, the nano world that contains atoms and molecules
was introduced. This chapter will now focus on the developments in the
nano world as applied to the animate or the living.

When identifying the contribution of technology to biology, the rst place to

look would be the eld of human health. The whole vast concerns of human
health including aging, disease treatment and prevention, and diet and
general lifestyle have greatly bene ted from technology. Medicine is one
example of a scienti c and technological innovation that made a
breakthrough in the area of human health. Before aspirin was ever
understood at the nano level, it had been known for its effects. Pain of
various forms could be relieved and softened by this medicine. The aspirin
was already an “old” technology at the beginning of the 21st century. The
more recent ndings in the areas of nano and gene science can be
incorporated to medicine. If new discoveries on the areas of molecular and
atomic physics are applied to the biological basic building blocks – the
genes – even greater technologies for human health may be found.

What we should know about stem cell treatment in the PH

Totel de Jesus

Manila, Philippines – in recent year, it’s common to hear beauty doctors in

the Philippines offering stem cell therapy as if is a new-found medical
fountain of youth, the answer to all medical worries.

In various media platform, there are bombardment of advertisements from

various hospitals and clinics packaging stem cell therapy as “cure-all”
remedy.

With such medical breakthrough, it begs the question on how equipped we

are in offering such services. We can’t help bu ask the parameters on
distinguishing the real experts from seemingly y-by night clinics and
medical centers.

Filipino-American doctor lawyer Samuel Bernal, an expert in the elds of

regenerative medicine and regulatory law, said the public should take a lot
of precautions.
“Be careful. Number one, stem-cell therapy is not a ”cure-all” (medical
procedure),”he said in an interview with the INQUIRER a few weeks after
receiving the 2012 Presidential Award for Filipino individuals and
Organizations Overseas at the Malacañang Palace.

The goald of the stem-cell therapy is not a longevity-anti-aging program.

Stem cell therapy is actually trying to allow the body to heal itself,” he said.

Educated at Johns Hopkins’and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Bernal is

currently Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of California-Los
Angeles, member of American Association of Clinical Oncologists, the
American Association of Cancer Researchers, and a recognized cancer
investigator with the US National Institutes of Health.

As a lawyer, his legal expertise includes cases on medical malpractice,

medical product liability, as well as Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and
Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) regulations in the testing, approval,
advertising, and marketing of health products.

He explained stem cell treatment requires “analyzing at the molecular level

what is causing the problem or (what could be done) to prevent the
problem.”

“Stem Cells are just a small part of the molecular approach to medicine.”

Supposed scientist would like to fashion a gene to counter cancer cell

growth. After several steps of developing the technology, its success would
still depend on its science and implementation. To achieve the goal, the
harmful gene has to be found among the 46 such structures in the ordinary
cells of the person. The speci c part of that gene doing the problem should
be identi ed. Afterwards, that section of the gene must be removed and
replaced with the “correct” or developed gene part to complete the therapy.
 This process would then correct the misinformation encoded in the whole
gene.

The nancial cost of this therapy is not trivial. Each of the steps mentioned
requires expertise and technological skill. Therefore, gene therapy can be
costly.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. Research on the various forms of gene therapy. How are they done?
2. What are the recent developments in gene therapy?
3. Stem cell treatment has been a subject of debates since the early 21st
century. What do you think about the current developments in stem
cell treatment?
4. What health condition do you think urgently needs to be treated by
gene therapy? Justify your answer.
5. Do you think the average human lifespan will change 20 years from
now? Why or why not?

Ĭ Mark Complete

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Chapter 10: The Nano World Chapter 12: Climate Change

Course Progress

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Syllabus
  UNIT 1: GENERAL CONCEPTS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY

 UNIT 2: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, SOCIETY, AND THE HUMAN CONDITION

 UNIT 3: Special Topics in Science, Technology, and Society

 Chapter 8: Information Society
 Chapter 9: Biodiversity
 Chapter 10: The Nano World
 Chapter 11: Gene Theraphy
 Chapter 12: Climate Change

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