The potential use of genetic engineering, the alteration of the genetic material (i.e. DNA) in living organisms, for therapeutic purposes, or “gene therapy”, holds the promise of curing many diseases. The potential use of gene therapy as a preventative treatment for genetic diseases, however, has been controversial, primarily because such preventative measures may involve manipulating the embryo. The beginning of life is an event so universally cherished that any interventions made in this somewhat ambiguous period that marks the beginning of existence, even to prevent disease, is simply too sacrilegious to consider. Yet, at the rate that science is progressing,…
in which, with respect to our name, we are as confused as you are
By ireneyu
Irene Yu is a graduate student in Physiology at the University of British Columbia. Besides her scientific pursuits, she is interested in film, history, and literature among other things. She never thought the day would come, but she is also beginning to like poetry.