rs in some cases is in targeting these defective genes and fixing them before they can form into a genetic disorder. Instead of supplementing the human body with something that it is lacking, gene therapy can sometimes block something from the human body that it doesnt need. This approach to gene therapy, called antisense therapy, focuses on repairing a defective gene that causes trouble for the human body. In antisense therapy scientists add a gene that mirrors a [defective gene] to a troublesome gene, [that binds] onto it and blocks its action (Grace 74). Basically, if a defective gene is producing a negative protein, then antisense therapy can prevent this harmful protein from being formed and allow for normal production of proteins.Thousands of people die every day because of the terminal malfunction of a vital organ. Although most peoples lives can be prolonged through surgery such as organ transplantation, the simple fact is that there arent enough spare body parts to go around. In 1997, the American Heart Association reported that only 2,300 of the 40,000 of Americans who needed a new heart got one (Mooney 1). An exciting new promise of gene cloning is something that scientists have called neo-organ production. A neo-organ is an organ engineered completely from scratch, independent of a human body that can replace a damaged organ. The idea is to take individual cells from a tissue or organ and seed them in a fine mesh of soluble material, then incubate them until they multiply and connect up, says Eric Grace. The main reason for this is that the human immune system, as stated before, is made to reject anything that it deems a germ, in this case, foreign tissue. This is why many early transplantation attempts failed because doctors didnt realize that you couldnt just transplant any organ into the human body because it will, ultimately, be rejected if the blood and tissue type is different. This is another major reason ...
