Gene therapy and its immense capabilities

Gene and its properties

Gene and its manipulation is the present basis of all type of treatment nowadays. They comprise the major section of the non-conventional source of treatment and disease detection in the present time. The genes are the structural and the functional unit of the human body system. Behind every activity, there is the driving force of the gene. Gene is carried in the DNA (Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid) that is the functional part of the DNA consisting of the exons is termed as the genes. And it has the power to move into the next generation and also get expressed in the off-springs. Thus diseases are also governed by the genes. So if it is possible to target the genes, in their active region and manipulate then in diseased condition then it might be possible to cure the disease of its root.

Gene Therapy

Genes are of two types mainly. One called as the somatic gene containing the somatic function and the other containing the germline gene that contains the germline activity which gets transferred in the next generation. Gene therapy can be defined as the manipulation of the gene for a specific purpose so that they can function in a positive in any adverse condition like the disease. And the cure of this type of therapy will definitely be very much accurate as it will cure of the basic mechanism. So, after its prowess in the normal therapeutic purpose, the fetal gene therapy was also very much utilized for many types of problem in the babies. Babies suffer from many type of diseases and problem, while they are present inside her mother’s womb. Although as the growth in that condition is not up to the mark, after their delivery those diseases gets prime position to affect the child. So curing the disease while in the mother’s womb will be the best option for the cure.

The process

Somatic gene therapy is the present new revolution in the medical field. More than 300 protocols have been hypothesized for different diseases. The target to introduce the therapy with the non-germline cell so that the genetic material can be transferred. The genetic material chosen for this is very much specific for the disease like that of the gene. For this process a number of additional processes like cell cloning etc. are involved too. And before applying it to the human beings, the whole of the hypothesis is checked upon other mammals, so that if the reaction occurs they can treat those from the first stage.

Recent Application of the technique

Many of the babies are very much prone of a medical condition like the thalassemia, SCID (Severe Combined Immunodeficiency). These two diseases are cured with the fetal gene therapy technique in the genetic background, thus removing the disease from the root of the baby, with no harm after birth. There are many diagnostic techniques as well as in-utero treatment using gene therapy for the cure of many diseases in the prenatal condition.

Implications

Fetal gene therapy and implications of is gives us a lot of hope as they have a capability to cure those disease which is not cured by normal medicines or treatment methods.