Ethics of Human Gene Therapy

The discovery of the double helical structure of DNA, by Francis Crick and James Watson, revolutionized the way the medical fraternity had been addressing human diseases from a long time. The discovery of DNA structure subsequently led to the discovery of genes, which are the physical and functional units of heredity. It was realized that the genes encoded for proteins, perform majority of the life functions and make up most of the structure of a cell. What followed was the ambitious Human Genome Project, which aimed at mapping the entire human genome. Soon fields like genetic engineering, Stem Cell Research and Human Gene Therapy evolved that, aim at curing a number of diseases by altering the genetic makeup of an individual.

What is Gene Therapy

Gene therapy is the process by which a defective disease, causing gene in an individual, is replaced by a healthy one. The first step in the process is to identify the defective gene through genetic testing. Then a vector which is usually a virus, is used to introduce a healthy functional gene into the affected person's genome. Once normal proteins are encoded by the functional gene, the individual is cured of the disease.

Ethics of Human Gene Therapy

Human gene therapy is a complex procedure, that requires lot of technical and scientific knowledge. As it is aimed at curing one's disease by altering one's genetic makeup, it can have a profound effect on an individual. Hence, it is viewed with a lot of skepticism. The controversies that plague the ethics of human gene therapy are:

• How can we decide if a trait is an individual's characteristic or disability, and who takes these decisions? For example, should the inability of a boy to throw a ball properly be considered a personal trait or a disorder, that should be treated by human gene therapy?
• This therapy is very expensive, at least as of now. Will only the rich be able to reap its benefits?
• Human gene therapy has not been perfected technically and its results can be unpredictable. The viral vectors that are used to introduce the therapeutic genes are modified so that they do not cause infection to the host. However, there is always a fear that the virus may regain its ability, to cause disease. A child who was being treated for a rare genetic disease in France, developed leukemia, as the virus carrying the therapeutic gene planted it at the wrong place in the child's genome. This incident cast a shadow on the credibility of human gene therapy.
• The most potent controversy surrounding human gene therapy is regarding germline gene therapy.
  While somatic gene therapy targets the human body cells like the bone marrow or blood cells, germline gene therapy alters the genetic material in sperms and eggs. So any change made by the germline gene therapy would be passed on to the next generation, but the effects of somatic gene therapy would be restricted to just the individual treated. Therefore, germline gene therapy can be used to eradicate a disease from the human species altogether. However, it is this very advantage of germline gene therapy that is viewed by many as a threat to revive Eugenics. While every parent would want her child to be free of any disease, human gene therapy may become dangerous when the parent would want to use it to have a child who would be brilliant at mathematics, or excel in baseball or be a prodigy in music. Germline gene therapy has revived the memories of Hitler's dream, of creating a superior race. Some even see it as the first steps towards the trend of having Designer Babies.
• Be it creationism or evolution, which is responsible for the origin of different forms of life, it is for sure that man has had no role in creating life. Human gene therapy has been opposed most vehemently, by people who believe that by interfering with the genetic makeup of an individual, man is trying to 'play God'.

Despite all the criticisms, there is no denying to the fact that human gene therapy can permanently eradicate diseases that have been baffling the medical fraternity for decades. Human genetics is a promising field that has given us a new dimension to approach diseases. The fear of genetic tools beings misused does not justify denying this area of science research and growth.