Gene Therapy and its Potential to Cure Deafness
Losing a vital sense makes living life more difficult. Gene therapy, the process of replacing faulty genes with genes genetically engineered to replace them, can potentially cure deafness. Yashimo Raphael experimented with intentionally deafened guinea pigs and the gene Atoh 1, a gene said to replace lost hair cells in the inner ear. He found that hair cells grew, but were not fully functional. The slight aid in hearing the gene did give the guinea pigs almost completely disappeared after a few weeks time. Although the new hair cells did not function properly, the fact that they grew defied nature and was a successful start.
Deafness affects millions of people in the United States every year. Cochlear implants and hearing aids are two methods to treat the hearing impaired, but the person has to rely on the device to hear sounds. First announced in Nature Medicine, scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School have discovered a gene that could potentially cure deafness.
Gene therapy, a relatively new innovention, is becoming popular across the country. Gene therapy modifies a part of an organism, whereas cloning creates an entirely recreated organism. This technique can be conducted in vivo in either somatic or germ cells. The process is essentially aimed at fixing a genetic disorder or disease by inserting a functional gene to replace the faulty one (Houdebine 2003). Many methods to conduct a gene transfer have been tested. The two types are in vivo and in vitro. Transferring genes in vivo means placing the functional genes directly into the target tissue; while vitro transfers creates the genes outside of the body, in Petri dishes. Vitro is an expensive process that r...
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...to create a genetically perfect person is a controversial issue in the world genetically engineering. While Atoh 1 cannot currently cure hearing it can re-grow precious hair cells, making it valuable in the slow steps of finding an eventual cure.
References
Coghlan, A (2005, February) Gene Therapy is first deafness ‘cure.’ New Scientist. 7/25/05: www.newscientist.com
Houbebine, Louis-Marie. (2003). Animal transgenesis and Cloning. Chichester:
The Atrium
Maugh, T. (2005, February) Gene therapy fixes animal hearing. Los Angeles Times. www.detnews.com
Pau, H., r.w. Clarke. (2004). Advances in the genetic manipulations in the treatment of hearing disorders. Clinical Otolaryngology (29), Page 574
Pobojewski, S. (2005, February). U-M scientists use gene therapy to grow new hair cells and restore hearing in adult guinea pigs. University of Michigan Health Systems.
What I found most interesting about Jarashow’s presentation were the two opposing views: Deaf culture versus medical professionals. Within the Deaf culture, they want to preserve their language and identity. The Deaf community wants to flourish and grow and do not view being deaf as a disability or being wrong. Jarashow stated that the medical field labels Deaf people as having a handicap or being disabled because they cannot hear. Those who are Deaf feel as though medical professionals are trying to eliminate them and relate it to eugenics. It is perceived that those in that field are trying to fix those who are Deaf and eliminate them by making them conform to a hearing world. Those within the Deaf community seem to be unhappy with devices such
Cochlear implants are amazing feats of biomedical engineering, and have helped many people regain the ability to hear. While there are some ethical dilemmas that go along with them, there is no denying just how amazing these implants really are. By understanding how the ear works, what causes it to stop working, and using science and engineering to fix that problem, there is now a way to give someone a sense they might have never been able to experience. It can be costly, but it could drastically change someone’s life. Some people may say for worse, but there will always be someone else to say it was for better. Overall, cochlear implants are an incredible invention and will continue to grow and only get better with technology.
The Cochlear Implant The cochlear implant is possibly one of the greatest inventions designed to benefit the deaf community. A cochlear implant is a device implanted internally behind a deaf persons ear with an external microphone, and is designed to provide artificial sounds to people who have nerve deafness in both ears and show no ability to understand speech through hearing aids. Since the development of the cochlear implant in the 1960’s, more than 10,000 people worldwide have been implanted with this device. Although this may seem like the perfect device to aid deafness, a lot of controversy still exists about the cochlear implant.
Gene therapy is a provisional technique that is the insertion of normal genes into the cells where there is a missing or miscoded gene to fix a genetic disorder. In the 1960s and early 1970s,
National Institute of Health. (2011). National Institute on Deafness and other communication disorders: Improving the lives of people who have communication disorders. National Institute on
From a deafness-as-defect mindset, many well-meaning hearing doctors, audiologists, and teachers work passionately to make deaf children speak; to make these children "un-deaf." They try hearing aids, lip-reading, speech coaches, and surgical implants. In the meantime, many deaf children grow out of the crucial language acquisition phase. They become disabled by people who are anxious to make them "normal." Their lack of language, not of hearing, becomes their most severe handicap. While I support any method that works to give a child a richer life, I think a system which focuses on abilities rather than deficiencies is far more valuable. Deaf people have taught me that a lack of hearing need not be disabling. In fact, it shouldn?t be considered a lack at all. As a h...
Gene therapy has become an exciting and controversial issue on the scientific and medical horizon. Science offers new technologies that, in the future, will be able to treat and cure common genetically passed diseases. However, as it is an extremely broad subject, some time must be dedicated to its interpretation and explanation. First, a general definition of gene therapy is required. Genethics, the Clash between the New Genetics and Human Values, by David T. Suzuki and Peter Knudtson, defines gene therapy as "the medical replacement or repair of defective or faulty genes in living human cells." It is not really so elementary as the definition would imply. Within gene therapy there lie certain aspects, some more controversial than others, some more achievable and probable than others. The ethical question must be addressed at each turn. However, all of this will be discussed at greater length subsequently.
Thus far, researchers have had minimal success in using gene therapy to correct most genetic conditions and no researcher has used gene therapy to correct genetic impairments in a fetus (Parens). Although it is impossible to correct genetic flaws, we have discovered how to test for over 400 conditions, from those viewed as severe, such as Tay Sachs, to those that many might describe as relatively minor, such as polydactyly (a trait involving an extra little finger) (Parens).
Every living thing is the product of the genes that were passed down from ancestors. Genes make up everything we are. One gets their traits from their parents. Most people live full lives with relatively good health. However, some people inherit mutated genes or faulty genes. This could lead to genetic disorders that could be life threatening. Even today, many genetic disorders still remain incurable, leaving many people without hope. Genetic therapy could be their answer. It is through this research that the cure for genetic disorders can be found. Though some people believe it is unethical or immoral to alter genes, current therapeutics have not been able to save the lives of the patients with these diseases. Genetic therapy for medicinal use is necessary because it will prove vital in saving lives of those stricken with a genetic disorder.
Gene therapy works in a variety of ways. It can be used to solve the problem of having missing genes by adding a gene to fight off a disease3. The main purpose of gene therapy is to help fix mutations in the body by replacing the genes that are functioning incorrectly with ones that are functioning correctly. Some mutations are harmless but others can cause a patient to develop a disease. The DNA in genes are responsible for carrying the information that makes proteins. Proteins can be considered “the building blocks of our body”1 so if a gene is mutated and becomes harmful it can stir up many problems. Using gene therapy cannot only stop a protein from causing harm by returning its normal function; it can also give new functions to a protein to benefit a patient2. By going through this process we can treat diseases at the source instead of using medication to hide symptoms4.
Johnston, Josephine, and Françoise Baylis. (2004). "What Happened to Gene Therapy? A Review of Recent Events." Clinical Researcher 4: 11-15.
So today, I have shared with you my journey in deafness. Being deaf can be hard, but it is not the end of the world. I can do what anyone else can do such as talk, play sports and hang out with friends. Every person’s journey is different. For me the key to success is perseverance.
Gene therapy is one of the most rapidly growing techniques in the medical field. One out of ten people are affected by genetic disorders. Defective genes that code for an incorrectly formed protein, resulting in a severely hindered function, cause genetic disorders or process that are usually lethal. The essential idea was to replace the defective genes causing the disorder by introducing a confirmed healthy form into the patient through some sort of vector. Vectors are fragmented down into two groups, viral and non-viral.
Gene therapy is a process used to cure diseases and disorders caused by mutated or defective genes in patients, which alters or inhibits the production of essential proteins used in normal functionality (Hunt, 2008). Fundamentally, the treatment involves the delivery of functioning DNA into cells, which incorporates into the genome and replaces the defective gene, or repairs, alters or deactivates genes causing the disease (Genetic Home Reference, 2014; Hunt, 2008).
Gene therapy poses many risks, but may prove the ideal solution for countless diseases. As seen throughout the past few decades, gene therapy can cure genetically inherited diseases by introducing therapeutic genes into the body. Critics may argue that there are moral and ethical problems associated with this novel technique, but for the most part scientists realize the importance this advancement will have. Gene therapy may be the key to curing dozens of diseases, and has endless possibilities, but more research is needed before its safe or accepted as common practice.