Gene Therapy

[joshuaclottey]

There are many advances taking place in the field of genetics, more precisely, gene therapy. I am fairly confident that everybody here has a basic understanding of what gene therapy is. I had a few questions when it comes to gene therapy.

 

First, How far along are we in this field? Second, will we reach a point where we can transform ourselves a la E.O wilsons shape shifting man? I would like to see in the very near future, a man getting an injection and in a matter of days he goes from being 5'9" to 6'3". Or a man being 300 pounds, gets an injection, and in a matter of days shrinks down to 160 pounds, changing your race, your facial features etc. etc. etc.

 

Third, is this aforementioned scenario scientifically possible? I would imagine it is possible and in our near future.

 

I would love to hear from all the experts on this topic.

 

Thank you.

 

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Edited May 11, 2013 by Phi for All
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[SomethingToPonder]

There are many advances taking place in the field of genetics, more precisely, gene therapy. I am fairly confident that everybody here has a basic understanding of what gene therapy is. I had a few questions when it comes to gene therapy.

 

First, How far along are we in this field? Second, will we reach a point where we can transform ourselves a la E.O wilsons shape shifting man? I would like to see in the very near future, a man getting an injection and in a matter of days he goes from being 5'9" to 6'3". Or a man being 300 pounds, gets an injection, and in a matter of days shrinks down to 160 pounds, changing your race, your facial features etc. etc. etc.

 

Third, is this aforementioned scenario scientifically possible? I would imagine it is possible and in our near future.

 

I would love to hear from all the experts on this topic.

 

Thank you.

 

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Im no expert, But that will probably never happen in our lifetime. When people did start eventually trying to achieve that, There would most probably be many many deaths from experimental testing etc.

The human body is not designed to grow that fast at all, The bones especially cannot. What chemical do you propose would be injected into humans to make them grow that fast,change the color of your skin, Or make your facial features change? even if it was managed which it will not be, do you realize how sore it would be? Imagine your nose going from flat to pointy, That would be like torture.

 

Gene therapy is taking a much different path to this sort of thing at the moment and doesn't seem like it will be changing to going down this course at all.

All your features are pattern's of enzymes passed on from one human to the next, this is done by a substance in the nucleus of the cell, Not a protein called DNA. this is the key substance which is passed from one cell to another (for instance, sperm cells consist mostly of DNA) and carries the information as to how to make the enzymes. DNA is the "blueprint".So what does the blueprint look like, and how does it work? First, the blueprint must e able to reproduce itself.Secondly it must be able to instruct the protein. Concerning the reproduction, we might think this proceeds like cell reproduction. Cells simply grow bigger then divide in half. Must it be thus with DNA molecules,then, That they grow bigger and divide in half? Every atom certainly does not grow bigger and divide in half! No, It is impossible to reproduce a molecule except by some more clever way.

 

The Dna molecule is a pair of chains, twisted upon each other. The backbone of each of these chains which are analogous to the chains of proteins but chemically quite different, is a series of sugar and phosphate groups, Now the chain can contain instructions, For if we could split this chain down the middle, we would have a series BAADC...and every living thing could have a different series. Thus perhaps, in some way the specific instructions for the manufacture of proteins are contained in the specific series of the DNA.

 

I hope this has given you a basic understanding of things.

STP