Gene therapy can trigger the immune response in the patient, that could be harmful to them. Retroviruses has raised skepticism about their safety. Deactivated viruses are really deactivated?
B.
Viral vectors may cause toxicity, infection, inflammation, etc.
C.
Gene therapy may cause off-target effects — there is a risk that the new gene will insert itself into the path of another gene, disrupting its activity, or cause insertional mutagenesis.
D.
Gene therapy may cause chronic granulomatous disease and cancer.
【多选题】Ethical issues and concerns with gene therapy are:
A.
How can "good" and "bad" uses of gene therapy be distinguished? What actually happens when things go wrong? Who decides which traits are normal & which constitute a disability or disorder (deciding proper indications)?
B.
Do we have enough knowledge to make the right decisions? Are we able to control gene therapy? Are there situations, when gene therapy is ethically more acceptable? What are the costs for this type of therapy and who is paying for it?Will the high costs of gene therapy make it available only to the wealthy?
C.
Could the widespread use of gene therapy make society less accepting of people who are different? What is the socioeconomic impact of gene therapy in our society?
D.
Should people be allowed to use gene therapy to enhance basic human traits such as height, intelligence (IQ), or athletic ability (so called genetic enhancement)? What is the potential impact of germline gene transfer on future generations?