b6.3.18 modern advances in medicine Flashcards
1
Q
explain gene therapy
A
placing a fully functioning allele into a cell that has a faulty allele for the same gene
2
Q
steps in gene therapy
A
- cut out normal version of the gene
- produce many copies of it
- insert into the person by injecting it into a virus and injecting that virus into the person
3
Q
difficulties with gene therapy
A
- healthy alleles may not go into EVERY cell
- healthy cells may rejoin the chromosomes at random places and not work properly
4
Q
future advances in medicine
A
locating genes that could be linked to inherited disease
develop drugs that directly target disease-causing genes
develop new gene therapy treatments for diseases that currently have no cure
developing personalised medicines, with knowledge of your own genetic makeup.