Gene Therapy

Gene Therapy Gene therapy shows promise for Parkinson'sSevere tremors, rigidity of the limbs and loss of muscle control characterize Parkinson's disease, strikes as many as 100,000 Americans each year. The cause is unknown and the disorder results from death of brain cells that produce a neurotransmitter called dopamine. The dopamine plays a key role in transmitting commands from the brain's muscle control centers.Researchers had two teams that used the same technology for performing gene therapy. They inserted a desired gene into a common virus called adeno-associated virus. The genes each team used where very different. Both teams' leaders had no financial ties to the company.One team study, led by Dr. Matthew J During, used a gene that is the blueprint for an enzyme called glutamic acid decarboxylase. This enzyme converts chemicals in the cell into a neurotransmitter called GABA, which is important for controlling muscle movements. Injecting GABA directly into the brain ease symptoms of the di sease but the hormone is quickly cleared out of the system.Steve SelkirkGene Therapy: Historical OverviewGene therapy is by no means a new field of scientific query. The idea was first proposed back in the 1950's when James Watson and Frances Crick described a model of the double-stranded helix of DNA and basically discovered the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid. At that time, Crick was quoted as saying, "We used to think that our fate was in our stars. Now we know that, in large measure, our fate is in our genes" (Barker, 1995, p. 12).Knowing that DNA is composed of nucleotide base pairs in certain patterns, scientists began to ask questions about the DNA structure and how it could be manipulated. Scientists understood that the base pairs could be arranged incorrectly, and this prompted them to wonder if it would be...