Challenges, Concerns, & Benefits
Some of the challenges for the future are educating the general public on genetic therapy and how it works. Many people are probably against this technology simply based on ignorance of the subject. Perfecting genetic therapy and engineering techniques to ensure that proper use is not dangerous to humans. When initial treatments were being applied to clinical studies for patients with the bubble boy syndrome, a few of the subjects ended up becoming severely ill with some irreversible side effects. Though this study was performed a long time ago and dealt with vector issues, it is still necessary to ensure that medical treatments can be applied with relative safety. Technology still needs to be perfected if the option of germ-line therapy becomes considered a viable and ethical practice.
Many of the concerns are listed in some of the earlier sections of the website, but the underlying question is how far should humans go to improve themselves and others. Radical futuristic scenarios are portrayed in popular books and movies such as Huxley's "Brave New World," The Matrix, Blade Runner, and Gattaca. It does not seem out of the question that technology will be developed that would allow these fictional constructs to become tangible. The concern to not tamper with natures natural mechanism for changes in an organisms genome does also have some validity. The reason for genetic variation is partly so no one factor can completely destroy a species. For example, in Africa some people have sickle cell anemia. Though this affliction is fatal if both alleles are expressed and heterozygosity causes decreased oxygen/hemoglobin conformity, it provides immunity from malaria which is prevalent in that area of the world.
However, stopping forward progress is not always the easiest thing to do especially when this technology offers numerous benefits to technology. It offers new treatment for diseases that were before thought to only have treatable symptoms not completely curable. Due to its potential to radically change the quality of life for many individuals it will be considered a high priority for study. This sort of research will also continue to receive funding because once theses techniques have been perfected it can be commercialized and people will be able to make money of this technology.
This website was created for the course Honors 210:The Ideal at Monmouth College.