Gene Therapy for Cancer Essay - 4395 Words

Cancer occurrs by the production of multiple mutations in a single cell that causes it to proliferate out of control. Cancer cells often different from their normal neighbors by a host of specific phenotypic changes, such as rapid division rate, invasion of new cellular territories, high metabolic rate, and altered shape. Some of those mutations may be transmitted from the parents through the germ line. Others arise de novo in the somatic cell lineage of a particular cell. Cancer-promoting mutations can be identified in a variety of ways. They can be cloned and studied to learn how they can be controlled. Several methods such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy have been used to treat cancers. The cancer patients who are not helped†¦show more content†¦It may be possible to correct an abnormality in a tumor suppressor gene such as P53 by inserting a copy of the wild-type gene; in fact, insertion of the wild-type P53 gene into P53-deficient tumor cells has been shown to result in the death of tumor cells (3). This has significant implications, since P53 alterations are the most common genetic abnormalities in human cancers. The over expression of an oncogene such as K-RAS can be blocked at the genetic level by integration of an antisense gene whose transcript binds specifically to the oncogene RNA, disabling its capacity to produce protein. Experiments in vitro and in vivo have demonstrated that when an antisense K-RAS vector is integrated into lung cancer cells that over express K-RAS their tumorigenicity is decreased (4). Despite the promise of such approaches, a number of difficulties remain to be overcome, the most important of which is the need for more efficient systems of gene delivery. No gene transfer system is 100% efficient, unless germ-line therapy is contemplated. During the past two decades, there have been major advances in our understanding of how cancer develops, proving that cancer has a genetic basis (2). A series of genetic abnormalities that accumulate in one cell may result in a pattern of abnormal clonal proliferation. Our growing understanding of the genetic basis of cancer offers new opportunities for the molecular prevention and treatment of cancer. There has been aShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Gene Therapy For Curing Cancer892 Words   |  4 PagesGene Therapy for Curing Cancer Genes play an essential role in who we are today. They also can play a role on if somebody will develop certain diseases and illnesses. Scientists are starting to discover genetic mutations that can increase a person’s risk of cancer. For example, the BRCA gene test is type of blood test the doctors use to help identify mutations in genes that can cause a patient to be susceptible to breast cancer. Along with genetic testing for cancers, scientists and doctors areRead MoreEssay on Gene Therapy and Its Effect on Cancer3614 Words   |  15 PagesGene Therapy and Its Effect on Cancer The era of scientific advancement in the twentieth century has encouraged several scientific fields to merge into a new, futuristic science called Biotechnology. One idea behind Biotechnical science is taking advantage of molecular biology. At the forefront of this advancement is gene therapy which attempts to treat disease at its origin on the molecular level(Kreeger,1996). Essentially, this therapy deliberately introduces genes into the human cellsRead MoreMediated Gene Regulation For Cancer Therapy Essay1558 Words   |  7 PagesMicroRNA-mediated Gene Regulation Alex Almazan Animal, Rangeland, and Wildlife Sciences Department, Texas AM University Kingsville December 5, 2016 MicroRNA-mediated Gene Regulation Introduction MicroRNAs are short regulatory RNAs that modulate gene expression and are expressed in many diseases, including cancer. Studies have shown that microRNAs inhibit the translation and facilitate degradation of their targeted messenger RNAs which makes them a great candidate for the use in cancer therapy (ShahabRead MoreCancer and Gene Therapy Gene therapy is an experimental technique that allows doctors to insert a2400 Words   |  10 Pages Cancer and Gene Therapy Gene therapy is an experimental technique that allows doctors to insert a gene into a patient’s cell rather than using drugs or surgery. Gene therapy is a process of which defective or undesired genes in the body with â€Å"normal† genes. A vector is re-engineered to deliver the gene to a target cell. Then the gene is transferred to the cell’s nucleus and must be activated in order to function. The main focus of gene therapy is to replace a lost or improper gene with a newRead MoreGene Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis, Cancer, and Sickle Cell Diseases569 Words   |  3 PagesSclerosis, Cancer and Sickle cell disease. Briefly to explain my decision I choose these three because of the amount the people that get affected by these diseases are in staggering number. Cancer will have 5 million while Sickle-cell disease will have 2 million and finally Multiple Sclerosis will have 3 million. Beginning with Cancer, it is class of diseases characterized by out-of control cell growth. Currently there is around 100 different types of cancer. In current times some forms of cancer areRead MoreThe Pros and Cons of Gene Therapy Gene therapy is a very controversial topic that has been700 Words   |  3 PagesThe Pros and Cons of Gene Therapy Gene therapy is a very controversial topic that has been discussed in the last five years and is being heavily studied to help cure cancer. Gene therapy is a technique aimed at treating genetic disorders by introducing the correct form of the defective gene into the patient’s genome (Dunlop et al., 2010). There are two main groups of gene therapy and they are germ line gene therapy and somatic gene therapy (Baksh, 2007). Germ line therapy consists of germ cellsRead MoreTreating Genetic Disorders with Gene Therapy Essay1164 Words   |  5 PagesGene Therapy With our current society rapidly advancing in both the technological and medicinal world, many new treatments have been born that can be used to treat genetic conditions that regular antibiotics and surgeries simply have no positive or progressive effect. Gene therapy is when a newly developed gene is transferred, or introduced, to an already existing gene, it is the attempt to treat one’s genetic disorder at the molecular level and could significantly improve the human populationRead MoreThe Therapeutic Potential of Gene Therapy1334 Words   |  6 PagesA novel therapeutic modality, gene therapy is the transfer of nucleic acids – DNA or RNA – into select somatic (body) cells to correct genetic defects or produce therapeutic proteins. It can be performed ex vivo (â€Å"out of the living†) or in vivo (â€Å"within the living†). In the ex vivo method, the target cells are removed from the patient, genetically modified, and reintroduced into the pati ents body. This approach is efficient but limited to easily accessible cells such as epithelial cells (cells coveringRead MoreGene Therapy And Its Effects1619 Words   |  7 Pagespatients are treated. Recently, gene therapy has been propelled into the spotlight with the most recent successful clinical trial in which scientists reprogrammed ordinary cardiac cells in pigs to mirror the function of the sinoatrial node, thereby inducing a steady heartbeat. In the last few decades since its inception, gene therapy has rapidly advanced; there have been remarkable strides in its methods and an increase in the range of targetable diseases. Gene therapy is the modification of the geneticRead MoreGene Therapy Essay772 Words   |  4 Pages Scientists believe in Gene Therapy Can Treat Cancers? Sarah Dziatko For many years treatment for cancer has been radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery, but through clinical trials immunotherapy has been tested on various patients that the previously listed treatments did not work for. Immunotherapy is a type of therapy in which the immune system is altered and strengthen to become more rigorous and able to attack cancerous cells. This new discovery is extremely important because it is like a fifth