Gene Therapy Future of Medical World.
                     Gene Therapy: Future 
of Medical World
What is Gene Therapy?
• Gene therapy is a scientific technique that uses genes to prevent or treat disease in several 
different ways:
– Replace a damaged gene with a healthy copy of the gene.
– Inactivate a gene that is functioning incorrectly.
– Introduce a new gene into the body that may be needed for normal function.
Source: www.sciencecare.com
How it works?
• Gene therapy can be implemented both inside or outside the body. 
– When it is done inside, doctors inject a modified version of the virus carrying the gene. 
– When introduced into the body, the modified virus takes advantage of the fact that viruses 
tend to attack the body. 
Source: theinnovationenterprise.com
Introduce new genes into body
• Gene Therapy could be used to fix a defective gene with a copy of a healthy one. It can be used 
to activate a gene that was previously dormant but should've been functioning. 
• Or it could be used to introduce new genes into our body which were needed for it to function 
normally.
Source: theinnovationenterprise.com
Prevent genetically inherited diseases
• Genetic therapy could be used to help prevent genetically inherited diseases from ever occurring 
and completely reshape the future of humanity. Some tests have been done with attempts to 
cure cancer by introducing antibodies which might not normally be present to fight off the 
disease.
Source: theinnovationenterprise.com
Cure Parkinson’s Disease
• Genetic therapy has also been used to enhance the production of dopamine to cure Parkinson's 
disease.
• It is both a chronic and neurodegenerative disease, so not only does it last for a long period of 
time, but it also gets worse the longer you have it.
Source: theinnovationenterprise.com
Grow new skin
• Gene therapy has recently been used to grow new skin and restore eyesight. In November 2017, 
a patient suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa had samples of uninfected skin duplicated and 
applied healthy versions of his skin to the blisters. 
Source: theinnovationenterprise.com
Risk factor
• Since it is introduced into the body through a carrier as an altered version of the virus, there is 
the chance the immune system might mistake it for the original virus and attempt to attack it. 
• There might also be a chance the newly introduce anti-virus could unintentionally affect more 
cells and lead to further complications.
Source: theinnovationenterprise.com
Ethical Implications of Genetic Modification
• Recent development in gene therapy have put into question the ethics surrounding modifications 
to the natural human body. 
• The question about who will have access to these treatments has been a longstanding debate. 
Source: theinnovationenterprise.com
Expensive Process
• The procedure is also really, expensive. The estimated price for specifically Parkinson’s Disease 
gene therapy is around 105 328 USD. So, it would only be available to the rich. 
Source: theinnovationenterprise.com
Gene Therapy: The Future
• Scientists are only starting to experiment with various applications of gene therapy. However, the 
ability modify genes so that they can cure diseases is a tool that can completely change the world 
as we know it. 
Source: theinnovationenterprise.com