Gene Therapy: Cancer

         Figure 1: Gene Therapy
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjAvHM_FIYInjnOf1wV_XREZoj7pZ5WxxA2qZ0ny-ytaVaGykJOLBtBk36eBAPpSdzCauenlCiQnqSmdIuHP_hhnp72q7931UJj75xax6IqoSS5ujHhVjMJJ2X1GX_rcVDEfZwi0o1do/s320/picgenetherapy.jpg  

Find the answers for following questions:

In brief describe about this application (what is it all about?) 
Gene therapy is a treatment that is involving to alter a gene inside of our body's cell' to stop genetic disease.
 

What are some benefits of this application?

The past 10 years a significant advances had been made in the fields of gene therapy and tumor immunology, they now exists a considerable body of evidence validating the proof in the principle of gene therapy based cancer vaccines.

What are some future improvements which still need to be done to make this application perfect (limitations)?  

Researchers or scientists taught us a lot about designing safe and effective vectors, targeting different types of cells and managing and even minimizing immune responses in patients. They also learned a lot about the disease genes themselves. on this days many clinical trials are underway, where researchers are carefully testing treatments to ensure that any gene therapy brought into the clinic and the trials is both safe and effective.
 

Video 1: Gene Therapy Cure Cancer

(This video is about Gene Therapy curing Cancer, it show how they do it and what types materials for curing cancer)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SC2EoxUOXo

What issues (social, economic, ethical, political or cultural) are currently related to the use of this application worldwide? 

Gene therapy researchers has been focusing on treating individuals by targeting the body cells from the therapy like bone marrow or blood cells. Tis type of gene therapy cant be passed on to a persons child gene therapy could be targeted to egg and sperm cells which allows  the inserted gene to passed on to future generations. this is known as germ line gene therapy.

The ideal of a germ line gene therapy is indeed controversial. And it could be spread at the future generation on a family by passing on from having a particular genetic disorder, it might affect the development of the trial of a fetus in unexpected ways or have long term side effects that are not yet known or discovered, because people who would be infected by germ line gene therapy are not yet born, they cant choose whether to have the treatment. This is because of an ethical concerns like the US government don't allow federal funds to be used for research on germ line genes therapy in people.

                                                                                                       
Ethical Implication of Gene Therapy Cancer:                          

Genes are like a data or a blueprint of a human or any living things body, it provides important information for the cells produce protein and enzymes to control our growth, development and health. A genetic mutations means that a gene contains a variation or "spelling mistakes" that disrupts the genes messages. sometimes the whole or parts of the gene is missing or deleted. these changes could make the gene in bad conditions or faulty. a mutation can occur spontaneously or may be inherited. gene therapy poses risks, like the way the genes that are delivered and the different vectors may present the following risks.

Inherited in one or even both copies of a faulty gene can be possible cause a wide range of conditions such as hemophilia and cystic fibrosis, and can also result as a increased susceptibility to some cancers. gene therapy targets the faulty genes responsible for a genetic condition. gene therapy can be used to replace a faulty gene copies with a working version  or to introduce a new gene that can cures a condition or modified its effects.
                                              

The current problem is to find a way to deliver the working version of a gene. One promising techniques is to put the working gene inside a harmless virus, which had most of its own gene removed it hasn't been deactivated.

 Figure 2:  the functions or procedure of Gene Therapy

          (This picture below is about how Gene Therapy works, it shows steps on how it works)                                       
 http://www.trip2medi.com/images/treatment/how%20it%20works-gene%20therapy.gif

MLA:

• "Gene Therapy." Definition. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.                                             http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/gene-therapy/basics/definition/prc-20014778
• Scholl, Susy M., Silke Michaelis, and Ray McDermott. "Abstract." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 19 Mar. 2003. Web. 11 Oct. 2014.                                                                                                                   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC179760/  
• "Gene Therapy Successes." Gene Therapy Successes. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2014.  http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/genetherapy/gtsuccess/  
•     "What Are the Ethical Issues Surrounding Gene Therapy?" Genetics Home Reference. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2014.                                                                                                        http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/therapy/ethics  
• "Gene Therapy - Better Health Channel." Better Health Channel. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.  http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Gene_therapy