Gene therapy has been touted as one of the most promising ...

[EAugust]

Gene therapy has been touted as one of the most promising therapies for healthcare in the 21st century. At present, gene therapy is primarily limited by
 
  A) the dynamic nature of the human genome.
  B) objections to gene therapy that are posed by religious groups.
  C) the difficulty in producing safe, consistent therapeutic results.
  D) the fact that only around a dozen known human diseases have a genetic basis.

Question 2

The Human Genome Project (HGP) has been the subject of extensive attention, both in the healthcare community and in the public at large. Which of the following bioethical issues is most applicable to the HGP?
 
  A) The HGP was conducted with little participation from developing countries.
  B) The HGP did not result in the number or quality of medical applications that were originally
  hoped.
  C) The HGP provides information that has the potential to influence the selection of behavioral
  attributes.
  D) The HGP calls into question many of the practices that have been accepted in Western
  medicine.

[Sammyo]

Answer to Question 1

Ans: C
Although gene therapy is a promising treatment option for a number of diseases
(including inherited disorders, some types of cancer, and certain viral infections), the technique
remains risky and is still under study to ensure its safety and effectiveness. The human genome
is essentially consistent between individuals. Hundreds of diseases have a genetic basis and
opposition from organized groups has not been the primary brake on the development of gene
therapy.

Answer to Question 2

Ans: C
The ethical and bioethical concerns that can evolve from the HGP are many and
varied. Among them are the issues of access to and use of new genetic information and
technology to improve health, the research that would involve human participants, and the
implications of the discovery of genetic contributions related to diseases, non-disease attributes,
and various behavioral traits such as cognition, mental illness, diurnal rhythms, and aging for
how we understand health and illness. The project did not discount common medical practices
or fail to produce useful applications. The Western focus of the project was not widely
criticized.

[EAugust]

Correct answers!

[Sammyo]

Great! Please up vote