Also known as X-SCID, this disease prevents the body from fighting off germs due to IL2RG having a broken gene. Scientists successfully replaced the broken gene with a mistake-free IL2RG gene. In France, 11 boys were cured of X-SCID with gene therapy. Sadly, since gene therapy's long-term effects were not well known, 3 of the boys' developed leukemia and one died. The concept of curing cancer is like curing X-SCID but more complex. This complexity could be understood. Hoyt states that over 200 cancers could be treated with gene therapy since these cancers are due to broken genes. This is one of the many factors why further research in genetic engineering to ensure the better knowledge of long and short term effect. The more scientists' discovery about genetic engineering, the healthier society will live.
In the most encouraging and possibly not so distant future, post-birth medical applications are to enhance the drug delivery throughout the body. The truth is shown; studies are as of now investigating the capacity to refine antibodies with the goal to be better endured by the human body and all the more effortlessly focused to specific cells. Studies have demonstrated that "humanized" antibodies "are more effective therapies for a variety of diseases including cancer and can more easily cross the blood-brain barrier for treatment of various neurological disorders" (Hadzimichalis).
Genetic modification can be used to alter our genes once we are older or simply when we get a disease. The true goal is to get the most out of this research from the start when humans are unborn. Eliminating illness and future diseases in an unborn is critical to ensure that the baby grows up healthy. In the article Scientific American explains how scientists should be allowed to research with basic human germline. This work would simply involve nonviable embryos, which will lower ethical factor of using "possibly future child" embryos for research.
