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Genetics: Diseases
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Barrie J. Carter, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief scientific officer of Targeted Genetics added, "A gene therapy approach may have enormous potential to improve the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, a disease that leads to profound morbidity and premature mortality. It is critical that we let the clinical trial and scientific process determine the risks and potential of gene therapy before rushing to judgment and hampering the development of what could one day play a significant role in the treatment of serious diseases."
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In the modern world genetics plays a part in more dramatic breakthroughs than any other field of biological study. These breakthroughs have an impact in a wide variety of areas, from curing diseases to growing better vegetables to catching criminals. The field of genetics is in the midst of a revolution, and at the center of this exciting (and, to some minds, terrifying) phenomenon is the realm of genetic engineering: the alteration of genetic material by direct intervention in genetic processes. In agriculture, for instance, genes are transplanted from one organism to another to produce what are known as transgenic animals or plants. This approach has been used to reduce the amount of fat in cattle raised for meat or to increase proteins in the milk produced by dairy cattle. Fruits and vegetables ... have been genetically engineered so that they do not bruise easily or have a longer shelf life.
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Together with the power of genetics to find genetic changes that cause psychiatric disease, these advances are leading to novel therapies for common conditions. For psychologists, genetics is influencing the way work is done from the bench to the bedside. An understanding of genetic methodologies is crucial if psychologists are to take advantage of the new possibilities opened up by genetic research.
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Gene therapy is another outgrowth of genetics. The idea behind gene therapy is to introduce specific genes into the body either to correct a genetic defect or to enhance the body's capabilities to fight off disease and repair itself. Since many inherited or genetic diseases are caused by the lack of an enzyme or protein, scientists hope one day to treat the unborn child by inserting genes to provide the missing enzyme.
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