What are the ethical issues surrounding gene and cell therapy?

Gene therapy is replacing defective genes in patients with healthy ones in order to bring about a therapeutic effect. This modification usually occurs by introducing exogenous DNA/RNA using various vectors (Mostly Viral vectors) or other means. Gene Therapy is a progressing area and it has been approved for many diseases. Here are few ethical issues surrounding gene and cell therapies

Ethical Concerns:

• Use of Gene and Cell Therapies for Treating diseases Vs Enhancement 

• Financial concerns

• Social discrimination

• Excessive Experimentation on Human embryos

• Playing God

Use of Gene and Cell therapies for “Treating diseases Vs Enhancement”

These therapies involve changing the body's components which gives the instructions. The idea for developing such therapies is to treat diseases which can’t be cured just through medications. This should remain that way because using these therapies, it is possible for enhancing and Improving the selected traits like Intelligence, Height and a lot of other traits.

Financial concerns

The cost of Gene and Cell therapies are so expensive. The cost ranges from $373,000 to $1 million. This only makes the therapy available to the wealthy ones in society and not the major population. Insurances are also not covered for gene/cell therapies

Social discrimination

While social discrimination already exists, The former two will make it worse. Consider a situation where these therapies are approved and used for Enhancement, It can only be used by the wealthy. This creates chaos and makes society less accepting of people who are different.

Excessive experimentation on Human embryos

Although there are different ways for experimentation. Finally, it (Germline therapy) has to be experimented on human embryos, which raises a lot of concerns. Another concerning issue with experimentation on embryos is that, while it may cure disease / enhance a particular trait we don’t know what are the other unintended effects this may cause to the baby.

Playing God

The concerns of “Playing God” have been voiced since the beginning of Modern Biotechnology. This Linked to philosophical debates about the creation of life, prompting fears about scientists playing God. The concern about modification is that it might involve usurping the role of a higher being or failing to recognise human limitations.

REFERENCE:

Sade, R. M., & Khushf, G. (1998). Gene therapy: ethical and social issues. Journal-South Carolina Medical Association, 94, 406-410. https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/therapy/ethics/#:~:text=The%20ethical%20questions%20

surrounding%20gene,available%20only%20to%20the%20wealthy%3F

https://www.gfmer.ch/Endo/Lectures_09/ethical_aspects_of_gene_therapy.htm

https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~mcclean/plsc431/students/amanda.htm