Human gene therapyWhat is human gene therapy? Human gene therapy is a procedure used to attempt to treat genetic and other diseases. Many ethical, social, and safety concerns are raised regarding the use of human genetic engineering. Gene therapy techniques will introduce copies of a “healthy” gene into the body’s cells. The disease will be controlled if the introduced genes function normally. This is called somatic gene therapy because it introduces the gene into a somatic or body cell. No cells capable of dividing to form sperm or eggs will receive genes introduced by somatic gene therapy. The insertion of a single gene into the somatic cells of an individual with a life-threatening genetic disease is somatic cell gene therapy. This type of therapy is aimed only at eliminating the clinical consequences of the disease. Future generations should not have problems because the inserted gene is not passed on to them. Germline gene therapy involves inserting a healthy gene into the fertilized egg of an animal with a specific genetic defect. This has been successfully done in several animal studies. The new gene is obtained in every cell of the body, including reproductive cells. There are three major technical problems that prevent us from considering the use of this technique in human beings. "The first is that scientists have no way to diagnose genetic disorders in the fertilized egg. Second, the procedure is most often used to insert genes into fertilized eggs - injection with a guided glass needle under the microscope - has a high failure rate and thirdly, the problem is the lack of control over where the gene is inserted in the genetic machinery of the embryo...... middle of paper ... ... n health insurance I think that any person, regardless of age, gender, wealth, etc. I also think that the cost of the human gene therapy procedure should be within the price range of. anyone who needs the procedure Human gene therapy should not be available only to an elite Human gene therapy should be used in fetuses if the disease is recognized and if that fetus is at risk of death. human genetics will have a positive impact on our society. research can be done to improve the techniques of this procedure. References Anderson, WF, Science, vol 256 pp 808-813, May 8, 1992. Human gene therapy. Nichols, EK, Human Gene Therapy, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1988) PP 1-251.